The Shadowverse: Year Two, Part One
by Ori Shadow
Summary: The second "season" of the continuing adventures of Orion Shadow and friends, set this time in the curious world of Canterlot High School!
1. Being Human: 1

The morning dawned bright and clear at Canterlot High School. It was 15 minutes to go before class was due to start, and the hallways were filled with the sounds of chattering students and the opening and closing of locker doors. Among them was Orion Shadow, a somewhat handsome grey-skinned young man dressed, rather peculiarly, in a tweed jacket and bow tie with jeans and black shoes, and a fez.

He stepped up to his locker and quickly spun the combination, and extracted a book and a notebook.

Abruptly he felt a hand sweep over his head and grab the fez. From behind, a girl's voice said "Nice fez, dork. What are you, a wannabe Shriner or something?"

Orion blinked and turned to look, finding the yellow-skinned, leather jacket wearing form of Sunset Shimmer standing behind him, his fez in her hand. He rolls his eyes, "No Sunset, I just like the fez… why does that bother you?"

"Because it's nerdy," Sunset said, tossing it into a corner. "Just like you." She grabs at his bow tie and unties it, tossing it away too. "And I hate nerds." With that she grabs Orion's collar in one hand and shoves him up against the locker, drawing her other hand back in a fist to punch him.

Sudden resistance on her fist, along with a hand gripping it tightly, caused Sunset to stop and slowly turn to see who dared to interfere with her fun. She blanched visibly as she saw Raven's face looking back at her, a deeply angry look on Raven's face.

"I thought we had a deal, Shimmer," Raven hissed. "You leave us alone and I don't give you tnat face rearranging I should have given you a long time ago." A sinister grin crossed Raven's face. "Or, does this mean our deal is now officially canceled?"

Sunset lowered her arm, which Raven was still grasping tightly, and gulped audibly. "Hey, I didn't know he was with you, okay? It was ... it was an accident."

"Be more careful next time, Shimmer," Raven hissed, " or my fist may accidentally relocate yor nose." She released her grip on Sunset's arm. "Get out of here," she commanded, and Sunset quickly complied, shooting a glare over shoulder s she did so. Raven picked up Orion's bowtie and handed it to him. "I always thought bowties were pretty cool," she said. "Name's Raven. You new here?"

Orion Shadow smiles and puts his bow tie back on, adjusting it afterward more for effect than anything else. "Bowties -are- cool. About time someone agreed with me." He also nods, "Transferred from Trottingham... I am Orion Shadow, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He offers a hand for her to take. "Oh, and thank you for... well, saving me... usually Vice Principal Luna does that."

Raven shakes Orion's hand. "Oh, it's no trouble at all. Y'see, Sunset and I had a little ... disagreement when I first transferred here from Manehattan. Seems she didn't like the studious types and I didn't like how symmetrical her teeth were." She chuckled. "We made a deal after that - if she left my friends and me alone, I wouldn't try to forcibly remove delicate parts of her anatomy." She grinned at Orion, a small flush spreading over her cheeks. "You're one of Luna's Loonies too, eh? She takes a great interest in us problem children for some reason. So, what brought you here from Trottingham?"

The smile fades abruptly, replaced by a frown filled with sadness and deep regret, "A family tragedy..." he says finally, "One I don't really like to talk about... only the Principals know so far." He looks up again, staring into her eyes. "I'm not going to tell you yet... not because I don't trust you, but because I don't feel I'm ready yet." The bell rings at that moment, and he quickly grabs a book, "Sorry, I need to go... I'll be late to history. See you at lunch!" He runs off, disappearing into the crowd of other students.

Raven waves as Orion runs off to his next class. "Yeah, see you then," she calls after him, then under her breath she says, "I hope ... " She shakes her head, wondering where that came from, and heads off to her physics lesson. The physics class, oddly, is taught by a tan-skinned young man with spiky hair, black glasses, and a brown suit with blue pinstripes.

* * *

><p>Later that day, Orion is walking toward the cafeteria, a blue backpack the same color as his hat slung over his shoulders, carrying a textbook, a notebook, and a pencil.<p>

"There you are!" Raven said as she fell in step with Orion. "You haven't been avoiding me, have ya? Only 'cause most kids do when they hear about me," she continued, sadness mixing in with her words. "But I didn't think you'd be that type."

"Certainly not!" he replies, smiling gently to her, "It's not every day a random girl saves an innocent from a violent act... I owe you one." He places his things down on a table near a window. "Why do most kids run away? I think you're very nice."

Raven blushed a little. "Well, it's just that when they hear I was sent here for being a 'problem student,'" she explained, making quotation marks in the air, "they immediately think I'm some sort of bad seed or something. Far from it, actually."

"A problem student?" He raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "Tell me more. Once we've gotten lunch, that is." And with that he takes her hand in his and walks with her toward the line of other people, all of them with trays, waiting to be served.

Raven doesn't resist, instead squeezing his hand as they walk. "It's really nothing bad. I just have a tendency to stick up for my friends ... which landed me in the principal's office more times than I cared to count." She smiles. "I also don't suffer fools gladly, which annoyed the teachers for obvious reasons. So, I was given a choice of either coming here, or going to the 'special' high school with the other delinquents." She takes a tray and moves down the line. "Vice Principal Luna took an interest in me after my dustup with Sunset, and she's been very supportive."

"That does not surprise me in the least," Orion replies, selecting a tray and following her down, "Odd as it may seem, Vice Principal Luna really is one of my best friends here... I haven't really had time to make any others. Not that they'd want anything to do with me, anyway. Sunset's word is law among the students, and she's been pushing a negative narrative about me from the moment I stepped through the main doors."

"Look, between myself and Luna, you have nothing to worry about. I think we're the only two people in this school that she's afraid of ... well, except for Miss Sunspot the principal, and I'm not even sure about her." She leads Orion to a table with a couple of empty seats. "Don't get me wrong, Principal Celestia is okay, but I don't think she's as strict as Vice Principal Luna can be, and a lot of Sunset's crew knows that."

Orion nods, "I haven't really interacted with her much... but I know Sunset and her lot have." He starts eating, using a napkin to dab at his mouth every so often and then asking eventually "On an entirely different note, what is your favorite subject?"

"I kind of like physics, and science," she said, at least being courteous enough to not spray Orion with bits of her lunch. "I'd like to be like my older brother some day. He's studying nuclear science, and he loves his classes. He tells me he has this crazy teacher that wears dark glasses..."

"Science is an excellent field," Orion says, nodding sagely. "So says the amateur historian." He takes a sip of his milk. "Your brother wants to be a nuclear scientist, then?"

Raven nods. "He says he has a job waiting after he graduates. He says fifty thou a year will buy a lot of beer." She chuckles. "He was always a goofball. Always threatening to send me to Timbuk-Three whenever we argued."

"What do you want to do after graduation?" he wonders, leaning back slightly in his seat.

"I hadn't really thought about it," she says wistfully. "Part of me wants to be a performer, another part wants to be a scientist, and yet another part wants to be a pretty princess."

Orion laughs a little at that, "I'm sure you could find a way to be all three!" he says. "Nuclear science, or something more? Astronomy, maybe?"

"Luna has made me more interested in stargazing lately ... it's really interesting. I'll have to think about it." She leveled a gaze at Orion. "Now .. perhaps you can fill me in on your life, including why I feel so drawn to you and so comfortable that I just spilled secrets to you that I've not told anyone else?"

"Because people have a tendency to trust me?" Orion says with a shrug. "I've never been able to understand it either... maybe it's the fact that I am fair and truthful almost to a fault." He adjusts his glasses. "I'd like to be a historian when I'm older... maybe an author. I've always felt that by investigating the past we can influence the present to create a better future."

"You'd make a good archaeologist," Raven said. "Maybe even a lawyer with your sense of justice. But for now, maybe you could be my study buddy. As Luna would no doubt tell you, I have a hard time learning from the past."

"It would be my pleasure," he says with a warm smile. "And you could help me with science, as despite my name, my grasp of astronomy really is rather abysmal." He finishes eating and gets up, "I've got a meeting with Vice Principal Luna after school, but I can come and find you after that... where do you live?"

"I live about three blocks west of here," she said, scribbling an address on a piece of paper. "It's an easy house to find, it's at the end of a cul-de-sac. I'll see you after school," she said rising quickly and giving him a quick hug before heading off to her next class.

* * *

><p>The final bell rings at 2:00 that afternoon, signaling the end of the school day. Students pour out of the building like a tidal wave, talking among themselves as they board buses, climb into cars, or simply walk home. Orion however is heading toward the administrative section of the building, and knocks on Vice Principal Luna's door once he arrives.<p>

Vice Principal Luna is busy working on a stack of papers in front of her when there's a knock on her door. She brightens the room alightly for the benefit of her visitor. "Come in," she says, and smiles when she sees Orion enter, closing the door behind him. "Ah, Orion. Punctual as always. Please, have a seat."

Orion takes one of two seats in front of the desk, smiling warmly to VP Luna. "It's good to see you again, ma'am... I've had quite a busy day today."

"So I have heard," Luna said, leaning across the desk slightly. "I heard you had a run-in with Sunset Shimmer today. Would you care to elaborate on that for me?" Her voice showed no trace of anger, but of curiosity.

"I was fetching my books for class this morning when she decided that would be a good time to bully me... she would have punched me had Raven not stopped her from doing it," he replies, the note of gratefulness toward Raven's actions as clear as day.

Luna smiles. "I figured she'd step in if she were able. Were there any other incidents today that I might have not heard about yet?"

"Not incidents, per say... but Raven and I are becoming close... rather quickly, for reasons neither of us can really understand just yet."

"I see..." Luna says, leaqinig back in her chair. "Tell me, Orion, and be completely honest - how do you feel about Raven? How does she make you feel? Perhaps, by exploring these feelings, you might understand your kinship better."

Orion Shadow looks a little thrown, and takes a few minutes to consider the question. "Well, I... I'm not sure. I like her well enough, she's very easy to talk to. And of course, I feel like I owe her, since she saved me from being hurt... and I want to be her friend. I know some about her background, but... whether she's a problem child or not doesn't really matter. What matters is that she did what she thought was right, and I admire that trait."

A smile plays across Luna's face. "That is a good foundation to build a friendship upon, Orion. Whether it turns into more than that, that is truly none of my business, but if it did I would be immensely pleased for the both of you. Since she has told you a little bit about her arrival here, I can tell you that there is more under the surface than she lets on. Treat her well, and you will find no one more loyal to you anywhere." Her expression sours a bit. "As for Miss Shimmer, I will once again speak to Principal Celestia about her. I will be keeping watch over her as well."

Orion nods, rising from his seat and bowing his head, "See you soon then, ma'am... and thank you." He turns to leave, intending to go find Raven, taking out the piece of paper with her address on it in the same moment.


	2. Being Human: 2

The morning dawned bright and clear at Canterlot High School. It was 15 minutes to go before class was due to start, and the hallways were filled with the sounds of chattering students and the opening and closing of locker doors. Among them was Orion Shadow, a somewhat handsome grey-skinned young man dressed, rather peculiarly, in a tweed jacket and bow tie with jeans and black shoes, and a fez.

He stepped up to his locker and quickly spun the combination, and extracted a book and a notebook.

Abruptly he felt a hand sweep over his head and grab the fez. From behind, a girl's voice said "Nice fez, dork. What are you, a wannabe Shriner or something?"

Orion blinked and turned to look, finding the yellow-skinned, leather jacket wearing form of Sunset Shimmer standing behind him, his fez in her hand. He rolls his eyes, "No Sunset, I just like the fez… why does that bother you?"

"Because it's nerdy," Sunset said, tossing it into a corner. "Just like you." She grabs at his bow tie and unties it, tossing it away too. "And I hate nerds." With that she grabs Orion's collar in one hand and shoves him up against the locker, drawing her other hand back in a fist to punch him.

Sudden resistance on her fist, along with a hand gripping it tightly, caused Sunset to stop and slowly turn to see who dared to interfere with her fun. She blanched visibly as she saw Raven's face looking back at her, a deeply angry look on Raven's face.

"I thought we had a deal, Shimmer," Raven hissed. "You leave us alone and I don't give you tnat face rearranging I should have given you a long time ago." A sinister grin crossed Raven's face. "Or, does this mean our deal is now officially canceled?"

Sunset lowered her arm, which Raven was still grasping tightly, and gulped audibly. "Hey, I didn't know he was with you, okay? It was ... it was an accident."

"Be more careful next time, Shimmer," Raven hissed, " or my fist may accidentally relocate yor nose." She released her grip on Sunset's arm. "Get out of here," she commanded, and Sunset quickly complied, shooting a glare over shoulder s she did so. Raven picked up Orion's bowtie and handed it to him. "I always thought bowties were pretty cool," she said. "Name's Raven. You new here?"

Orion Shadow smiles and puts his bow tie back on, adjusting it afterward more for effect than anything else. "Bowties -are- cool. About time someone agreed with me." He also nods, "Transferred from Trottingham... I am Orion Shadow, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance." He offers a hand for her to take. "Oh, and thank you for... well, saving me... usually Vice Principal Luna does that."

Raven shakes Orion's hand. "Oh, it's no trouble at all. Y'see, Sunset and I had a little ... disagreement when I first transferred here from Manehattan. Seems she didn't like the studious types and I didn't like how symmetrical her teeth were." She chuckled. "We made a deal after that - if she left my friends and me alone, I wouldn't try to forcibly remove delicate parts of her anatomy." She grinned at Orion, a small flush spreading over her cheeks. "You're one of Luna's Loonies too, eh? She takes a great interest in us problem children for some reason. So, what brought you here from Trottingham?"

The smile fades abruptly, replaced by a frown filled with sadness and deep regret, "A family tragedy..." he says finally, "One I don't really like to talk about... only the Principals know so far." He looks up again, staring into her eyes. "I'm not going to tell you yet... not because I don't trust you, but because I don't feel I'm ready yet." The bell rings at that moment, and he quickly grabs a book, "Sorry, I need to go... I'll be late to history. See you at lunch!" He runs off, disappearing into the crowd of other students.

Raven waves as Orion runs off to his next class. "Yeah, see you then," she calls after him, then under her breath she says, "I hope ... " She shakes her head, wondering where that came from, and heads off to her physics lesson. The physics class, oddly, is taught by a tan-skinned young man with spiky hair, black glasses, and a brown suit with blue pinstripes.

* * *

><p>Later that day, Orion is walking toward the cafeteria, a blue backpack the same color as his hat slung over his shoulders, carrying a textbook, a notebook, and a pencil.<p>

"There you are!" Raven said as she fell in step with Orion. "You haven't been avoiding me, have ya? Only 'cause most kids do when they hear about me," she continued, sadness mixing in with her words. "But I didn't think you'd be that type."

"Certainly not!" he replies, smiling gently to her, "It's not every day a random girl saves an innocent from a violent act... I owe you one." He places his things down on a table near a window. "Why do most kids run away? I think you're very nice."

Raven blushed a little. "Well, it's just that when they hear I was sent here for being a 'problem student,'" she explained, making quotation marks in the air, "they immediately think I'm some sort of bad seed or something. Far from it, actually."

"A problem student?" He raises an eyebrow, intrigued. "Tell me more. Once we've gotten lunch, that is." And with that he takes her hand in his and walks with her toward the line of other people, all of them with trays, waiting to be served.

Raven doesn't resist, instead squeezing his hand as they walk. "It's really nothing bad. I just have a tendency to stick up for my friends ... which landed me in the principal's office more times than I cared to count." She smiles. "I also don't suffer fools gladly, which annoyed the teachers for obvious reasons. So, I was given a choice of either coming here, or going to the 'special' high school with the other delinquents." She takes a tray and moves down the line. "Vice Principal Luna took an interest in me after my dustup with Sunset, and she's been very supportive."

"That does not surprise me in the least," Orion replies, selecting a tray and following her down, "Odd as it may seem, Vice Principal Luna really is one of my best friends here... I haven't really had time to make any others. Not that they'd want anything to do with me, anyway. Sunset's word is law among the students, and she's been pushing a negative narrative about me from the moment I stepped through the main doors."

"Look, between myself and Luna, you have nothing to worry about. I think we're the only two people in this school that she's afraid of ... well, except for Miss Sunspot the principal, and I'm not even sure about her." She leads Orion to a table with a couple of empty seats. "Don't get me wrong, Principal Celestia is okay, but I don't think she's as strict as Vice Principal Luna can be, and a lot of Sunset's crew knows that."

Orion nods, "I haven't really interacted with her much... but I know Sunset and her lot have." He starts eating, using a napkin to dab at his mouth every so often and then asking eventually "On an entirely different note, what is your favorite subject?"

"I kind of like physics, and science," she said, at least being courteous enough to not spray Orion with bits of her lunch. "I'd like to be like my older brother some day. He's studying nuclear science, and he loves his classes. He tells me he has this crazy teacher that wears dark glasses..."

"Science is an excellent field," Orion says, nodding sagely. "So says the amateur historian." He takes a sip of his milk. "Your brother wants to be a nuclear scientist, then?"

Raven nods. "He says he has a job waiting after he graduates. He says fifty thou a year will buy a lot of beer." She chuckles. "He was always a goofball. Always threatening to send me to Timbuk-Three whenever we argued."

"What do you want to do after graduation?" he wonders, leaning back slightly in his seat.

"I hadn't really thought about it," she says wistfully. "Part of me wants to be a performer, another part wants to be a scientist, and yet another part wants to be a pretty princess."

Orion laughs a little at that, "I'm sure you could find a way to be all three!" he says. "Nuclear science, or something more? Astronomy, maybe?"

"Luna has made me more interested in stargazing lately ... it's really interesting. I'll have to think about it." She leveled a gaze at Orion. "Now .. perhaps you can fill me in on your life, including why I feel so drawn to you and so comfortable that I just spilled secrets to you that I've not told anyone else?"

"Because people have a tendency to trust me?" Orion says with a shrug. "I've never been able to understand it either... maybe it's the fact that I am fair and truthful almost to a fault." He adjusts his glasses. "I'd like to be a historian when I'm older... maybe an author. I've always felt that by investigating the past we can influence the present to create a better future."

"You'd make a good archaeologist," Raven said. "Maybe even a lawyer with your sense of justice. But for now, maybe you could be my study buddy. As Luna would no doubt tell you, I have a hard time learning from the past."

"It would be my pleasure," he says with a warm smile. "And you could help me with science, as despite my name, my grasp of astronomy really is rather abysmal." He finishes eating and gets up, "I've got a meeting with Vice Principal Luna after school, but I can come and find you after that... where do you live?"

"I live about three blocks west of here," she said, scribbling an address on a piece of paper. "It's an easy house to find, it's at the end of a cul-de-sac. I'll see you after school," she said rising quickly and giving him a quick hug before heading off to her next class.

* * *

><p>The final bell rings at 2:00 that afternoon, signaling the end of the school day. Students pour out of the building like a tidal wave, talking among themselves as they board buses, climb into cars, or simply walk home. Orion however is heading toward the administrative section of the building, and knocks on Vice Principal Luna's door once he arrives.<p>

Vice Principal Luna is busy working on a stack of papers in front of her when there's a knock on her door. She brightens the room alightly for the benefit of her visitor. "Come in," she says, and smiles when she sees Orion enter, closing the door behind him. "Ah, Orion. Punctual as always. Please, have a seat."

Orion takes one of two seats in front of the desk, smiling warmly to VP Luna. "It's good to see you again, ma'am... I've had quite a busy day today."

"So I have heard," Luna said, leaning across the desk slightly. "I heard you had a run-in with Sunset Shimmer today. Would you care to elaborate on that for me?" Her voice showed no trace of anger, but of curiosity.

"I was fetching my books for class this morning when she decided that would be a good time to bully me... she would have punched me had Raven not stopped her from doing it," he replies, the note of gratefulness toward Raven's actions as clear as day.

Luna smiles. "I figured she'd step in if she were able. Were there any other incidents today that I might have not heard about yet?"

"Not incidents, per say... but Raven and I are becoming close... rather quickly, for reasons neither of us can really understand just yet."

"I see..." Luna says, leaqinig back in her chair. "Tell me, Orion, and be completely honest - how do you feel about Raven? How does she make you feel? Perhaps, by exploring these feelings, you might understand your kinship better."

Orion Shadow looks a little thrown, and takes a few minutes to consider the question. "Well, I... I'm not sure. I like her well enough, she's very easy to talk to. And of course, I feel like I owe her, since she saved me from being hurt... and I want to be her friend. I know some about her background, but... whether she's a problem child or not doesn't really matter. What matters is that she did what she thought was right, and I admire that trait."

A smile plays across Luna's face. "That is a good foundation to build a friendship upon, Orion. Whether it turns into more than that, that is truly none of my business, but if it did I would be immensely pleased for the both of you. Since she has told you a little bit about her arrival here, I can tell you that there is more under the surface than she lets on. Treat her well, and you will find no one more loyal to you anywhere." Her expression sours a bit. "As for Miss Shimmer, I will once again speak to Principal Celestia about her. I will be keeping watch over her as well."

Orion nods, rising from his seat and bowing his head, "See you soon then, ma'am... and thank you." He turns to leave, intending to go find Raven, taking out the piece of paper with her address on it in the same moment.


	3. Being Human: 3

The next morning, Orion is standing by the bus stop, today wearing a long green coat and white dress shirt with a red bow tie, and of course his backpack. Every so often he clicks on his phone screen to get a look at the time while he waits for the bus.

Lumbering along the road, the bus makes its way to the stop. With a hiss of air from the brakes, the doors open, and the driver, a middle-aged man with a slight paunch, looks down at Orion and smiles. "Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long, your lordship," he says with a smile, "the old limo here is starting to feel its age. So, how you doing today?"

Orion Shadow looks astonished at the use of the honorific, but smiles as he climbs aboard, picking a seat across from the driver. "Very well, for once! I've a girlfriend now... rather unexpectedly, but appreciated. Oh, and you don't have to call me your lordship... just Orion will do."

"Gotta have a little fun somehow, Orion. Seeing you carry yourself all proper like that, you simply smack of royalty to me. Oh, and as long as we're on a first-name basis, you may call me Longhaul. Most of the others do, 'cept for those that call me Long, or 'Haul, or 'hey you.'" The doors close and the bus lurches forward. "So, got yourself a girlfriend, huh? Congratulations! Couldn't have happened to a nicer guy." He looks quickly over at Orion before returning his eyes to the road. "Hey, where's the fez? I thought it looked cool."

"You noticed! And I don't know, actually... I think I left it in my locker. Again." He sighs a little, "So, Longhaul... I don't suppose your bus goes by a particular house, does it?" He rattles off Raven's street address.

Longhaul shakes his head. "Nope, that's an entirely different route, I think ol' Hoss does that one. I'll have to check when I see her again." A sly smile creeps across Longhaul's face. "Ohhhh, that's your sweetie's address, right? Gotcha. Lemme talk to Hoss and see if I can't grab that one, sounds like it's right on the way in anyway. You must really have it bad for this girl."

"I do..." Orion admits, blushing deeply now. "She's the most beautiful girl I've ever met... I could get lost in those eyes, they're like rubies!"

Longhaul nods as a group of students board the bus, then closes the doors and continues down the road. "Well, don't lose yourself too deeply, or you'll have a tough time getting back on course. Learned that lesson the hard way, and I'd hate to see it happen to you."

"I'll try not to. Thanks." He smiles again then takes out his book, it was going to be a long ride.

The bus made several more stops, until at long last the bus pulled up in front of Canterlot Higfh School. A steady stream of students exited the bus, Longhaul nodding and saying cordial goodbyes to the departing students. Before Orion can exit, Longhaul turns to face him, a warm smile on his face. "It's really nice to meet you, Orion, and if there's anything I can do for you, just ask me. And if you still want, I can see what we an do about that certain bus stop."

Orion smiles, "I would like nothing more, Longhaul. Thank you." He mimes tipping his hat to the man, then climbs his way back down the steps, walking into the school looking the happiest he had in ages.

"Hey, Shriner boy!" a shrill voice rings out, threatening to spoil Orion's mood. Sunset Shimmer steps out from around a corner and blocks Orion's path. "So where's your little watchdog of a girlfriend? Or are you gonna stand up for yourself this time?" Two ugly-looking males stood nearby snickering, until a look from Sunset silenced them as effectively as flicking a switch.

"Probably on her way here," Orion replies. "And she won't like seeing me talking to you. Because you'll probably punch me again, like you nearly did yesterday." Suddenly a thought hits him, "Actually... because you tried to punch me yesterday, she intervened. And she only intervened because you tried to punch me. So you're inadvertently responsible for bringing us together. Do you understand that, or are you really are a classic example of the inverse ratio between the size of the mouth and the size of the brain?"

"Look, fez freak, I don't really care what your little hooligan of a girlfriend thinks about me, and she only got the better of me yesterday because she caught me off guard. But let me tell you this - you think you're so smart and better than everyone, but when I get crowned the queen of the Fall Formal, everything's gonna change! And I'll make sure you and your little tramp are the first under my heels!" she flips her noebook under Orion's chin and gives a smug smirk. "Later, dweeb ... and watch your back. C'mon Snips, Snails ... we have work to do." The three stroll off, students ducking out fo their way as they pass.

"Figures the one day the bus is late, and little Miss Sunshine has to act up aagin." Raven puts a hand on Orion's shoulder. "You okay? She didn't hurt you, did she?"

"For once, no..." He gives Raven a hug. "But she has given me something to do." He takes Raven's hand in hers, "I think we need to know what she's up to. Want to come along?"

"Yeah, I think you're right ... let's go." She follows after Orion as the two trail after Sunset. They stop when they see a strange girl entering the school. "Hey Orion ... I don't recall seeing her before. Have you ever seen her around here?" They watch as a highly uncoordinated Twilight Sparkle makes her way down the hall.

"No... I wonder who she is..." He makes his way over, looking curious, "Miss? Are you alright?"

"OH!" Twilight shrieks, the action throwing her off-balance and landing her on her rump in the hallway. "Oh, I'm sorry ... I'm kinda new here. I'm Twilight Sparkle. Could you two direct me...?" she asks, attempting to stand up and failing.

"Sure we can. I'm Raven, and this is Orion," Raven says, offering Twilight a hand. "Here, let us help you up. Orion, could you take the other side?"

"Yep!" Nodding, he grips Twilight's hand in his own and with Raven's help, hoists her back up. "Nice to meet you, Twilight Sparkle!"

"Likewise," Twilight says, attempting to dust herself off. "I need to get to the library, which way is that?" She looks around the hallway, looking for some form of clue.

"Go straight, turn left, then make two rights... or just look for the sign that says library. You can't miss it!" Orion says, shrugging some.

"Okay, great! Thanks again!" Twilight heads off, unsteadily, toward the library.

"Okay, now that the weirdness is out of the way, let's catch up to Sunnydoodle and see what she's up to," Raven said, taking Orion's hand again. "Did she say anything out of the ordinary to you?"

"She said, and I quote, 'you think you're so smart and better than everyone, but when I get crowned the queen of the Fall Formal, everything's gonna change! And I'll make sure you and your little tramp are the first under my heels!'" He looks to Raven as he walks with her down the halls, "I wonder what she meant... she seemed especially angry today, and I can't imagine why."

Raven seethed at being referred to a a 'tramp,' and clenched her teeth. "I don't know, but I'm gonna make her eat those words ... and maybe a few teeth while I'm at it." She shrugs. "Maybe she got a new shipment of rhymes-with-witch pills in last night, who knows... I don't know what the big deal is about the Fall Formal, she bullied her way into winning it last time, I suspect she'll do the same again."

"I think we might be surprised..." In the distance he hears the sounds of people talking, specifically Snips and Snails. "Sh... we must be close..." he whispers.

Snips and Snails are walking along the corridor toward Orion and Raven, their view obscured by a bend in the hallway. "So Why's Sunset so hot to find this Twilight chick, and why do we have to follow her every move?" asks Snips.

"Look," Snails replied, "it's best not to ask. Just do as she says, unless you want another one of her .. lessons." He shivered, remembering intense pain. "I don't even know of anyone here named Twilight, but if the boss says to find and follow, that's what we do."

"So where do we start?"

"Sunset said try the library. Seems as good a place as any. C'mon." The two head off toward the library, passing Orion and Raven's concealed position.

Orion makes hand gestures pointing vaguely in the direction of the library, then walks in that direction, trying to keep as quiet as possible.

Raven nods and stays behind Orion, both of them watching out for any signs of trouble.

Raven watches, stunned, then turns to Orion. "How can someone not know how to use a computer in this day and age?" she whispered. "What is she, Amish?"

"No idea... but I doubt it, she's not dressed like one..." Twilight calls over a green and purple dog, and they start conversing, using phrases like 'Equestria' and 'this world.' Orion's eyes get very, very wide. "What the..."

"Maybe we should get out of here, this is starting to creep me out," Raven says, starting to back away toward the library doors. "Talking dogs, Equestria, this is all too weird. Next thing you know she'll be trying to zap us with a mind-erase ray or something."

"Maybe it's aliens," Orion whispers, looking excited. "Actual aliens! Maybe she's an alien! It would explain why she was stumbling when we met! Equestria... the root word is equine, meaning horse. So she's a horse alien. An alien horse!"

"I think you've been watching too much sci-fi," Raven replies. "C'mon, we need to tell someone about that psycho before she does something truly insane.' She tugs at Orion's hand to get him to leave the library.

"Like who?" Orion asks as they walk. "They won't believe us, any more than you did about her being an alien."

Exiting in the hallway, Raven starts walking faster. "We don't tell them she's an alien, goofball, we tell them a student is acting erratically and then it's their problem."

"What is our problem?" a familiar voice says behind them. Turning, Orion and Raven would see Vice Principal Luna standing behind them. "And why are you two out of class without a hall pass, pray tell?"

"Waaagh!" Orion exclaims, spinning around on the spot to face Vice Principal Luna. Oh dear, this wasn't going to be like yesterday. "Oh... well, it's a long story and requires a lot of context... but to summarize, we think Sunset Shimmer is conspiring to do something terrible and it involves the new girl, Twilight Sparkle."

Luna thinks. "Odd, I wasn't aware we had a new student starting today. I guess Celestia forgot to tell me. My office - now." She motioned to for Orion and Raven to follow, and they did.

Back at Luna's office, Luna sat behind her desk, idly spinning a model of the moon. "So, tell me again what all the fuss is about Sunset Shimmer and this new girl ... Flynight Sprinkle, was it?"

"Twilight Sparkle," Orion repeats, watching her spin the moon model. "Sunset bumped into me this morning, and she said 'you think you're so smart and better than everyone, but when I get crowned the queen of the Fall Formal, everything's gonna change! And I'll make sure you and your little tramp are the first under my heels!' And then, if that wasn't enough, we heard her two lackeys Snips and Snails talking... she had asked them to follow Twilight's every move." He leans in. "I don't know what Sunset wants... but it can't be good, if she's going to make threats like that and use Twilight to do it."

Raven interjects, "You know how mean Sunset can be to new students, Miss Luna. I'm worried that something bad might happen to Twilight, and we were just making sure she was going to be okay. We weren't skipping classes on purpose, honest!"

Luna studies the two. "Your complaint has merit, and I will be watching closely. I would also ask you two to keep your eyes open and if there's any problem, come get me immediately. Do NOT attempt to handle this yourself, am I clear, Miss Raven?" she said with a serious tone in her voice.

Raven nods. "Crystal, Miss Luna."

"Thank you, ma'am," Orion agrees. He then rises, taking Raven's hand again, "Let's go... we're late already."

"Yeah, I think our classes are next to each other this period..." Raven says, getting out of her seat. "Thank you, Miss Luna." She holds tight to Orion's hand as they exit the office.

Luna did not fail to notice this exchange between her two students. "Ah, young love..." she mused, a smile on her face.


	4. Being Human: 4

Orion and Raven walk together toward their classrooms, after a quick trip to their respective lockers. "Luckily we're not too late... if anyone asks, we had to talk to Vice Principal Luna. Keep an eye on Snips and Snails if you see them, and Sunset too... I'll see you at lunch." He kisses her gently then enters his classroom, leaving Raven alone.

Raven walked to her class. For the remainder of the day, she kept watch on Sunset's activities, noting that she seemed to be conspiring more with her lackeys Snips and Snails more than she uually did. Something was up and she suspected it had something to do with the new girl. She caught snippets of conversation, mostly having to do with the upcoming Fall Formal, and how vitally important it was that she be crowned queen at that event. She recorded what she thought was relevant in a notebook, and went through her day as usual.

At day's end Orion is by his locker, waiting for Raven to meet him there as they had arranged. Every so often he glances at a pocket watch, and checks for signs of either her or Sunset and her lackeys. Other students rush by him in their hurry to get on the buses.

Raven sneaks up and taps Orion on the shoulder. When he turns his head, she gives him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Hey sweetie. Something's going on, but I'm not sure what yet. What did you find out?"

"This and that... Twilight Sparkle intends to run against Sunset as Fall Formal Princess... so she's pulling out all the stops to discredit Twilight so that no one will vote for her. How about you?"

"She's got Snips and Snails tailing Twilight to get evidence to that end, but there's something important about that crown. Sunset wouldn't stop ranting about how important it was that she win. Something about 'making them pay,' and 'taking over.'" Raven shook her head. "Sunset's always been a bit of a controlling meanie, but this is way overboard for her."

"Making who pay? Taking what over?" He straightens his bow tie and paces back and forth. "It doesn't make sense! There are too many missing pieces here... we need to find out how they fit..." He looks up. "What about that statue in the courtyard?"

Raven shrugged. "May as well, we've looked at everything else." They go to the statue. Raven starts looking around. "I don't get it, I've never seen anyth-" She stops as her hand starts to pass through the stone at the base of the statue, transforming briefly into a purple hoof. "What the...?" she says, pulling her hand back quickly.

"Ah, you see? I knew there was something odd about it!" He places his hand through the base, and watches as it too turns into a hoof. "Raven... this is an inter dimensional portal... a gateway to another world..." He looks toward her. "Want to go through the other side and see if we can find anything?"

Raven shakes her head. "You saw how Twilight was acting, right? What if it's some backwards universe and if anyone else finds us, they catch us and burn us for being witches?" She shivers. "I can see them getting the duck and scales ready right now. Although," Raven continues, "what if Twilight was sent her to stop Sunset? Maybe that is her scheme: to take over that little world for whatever reason!"

"Then we need to stop her before she can!" He takes Raven's hand in his own, and smiles. "Vice Principal Luna only said not to handle this on your own. She didn't say I couldn't help." He looks back toward the portal, "Maybe one day, we'll go through... but not today." He straightens up. "Okay... let's split up. I'll look for Sunset, you look for Twilight. We meet back here in two hours!"

"Right!" Raven heads back in to the school. She had noticed that Twilight had been spending a lot of time in the library - as good a place as any to start, she thought. She opened the door and slipped inside.

Twilight is currently 'typing' (hitting the keyboard with her fists) on the computer, but she looks up when Raven enters. "Oh! Hello! You're Raven, right? From this morning?"

"Umm, yeah," Raven replies nervously. "Yeha, I was just ... curious as to how things were going for you. Is, um ... is everything all right?" she asks, noting how Twilight is using the keyboard. "I could help you, if you'd like."

Twilight smiles, "That would be great, thanks! I'm looking for any strange phenomena that may or may not have happened here since Sunset Shimmer started school here. Do you know her?"

Raven rolls her eyes. "Oh yeah, we've met," she says with an annoyed tone. "She's perhaps the bigest bully this school has ever seen. We've tangled a few times before and she leaves me alone for the most part. But only because I threatened to feed her a large helping of her teeth, washed down with my knuckles." She blinks, and smiles at Twilight. "Sorry, I don't take well to bullies ... no matter who they think they are. Now then ... is there anything in particular you're looking for?"

Twilight looks a little unnerved by Raven's words but tries to hide it, "Oh! Yes. Any distinct magical events... big explosions, sudden monsters appearing, ponies... people acting funny... anything like that?"

Thinking for a moment, Raven shakes her head. "Nothing recent, but about two and a half years ago, I've heard, the cops were called here for a disturbance. They found ol' Sunset there beating on the statue, yelling about wanting to go home." She chuckles. "They took her to the hospital for 'observation,' but released her once they felt she wasn't a threat to anyone." She paused a moment. "Wait, why ponies?"

Twilight clasps a hand over her mouth, then gives up. Time to tell the truth. "She and I... we're from a place called Equestria. We're ponies. And the crown she's after is my Element of Harmony, a very important magical artifact that is one of my country's most important means of defense. If Sunset tries to use it here, terrible things will happen. So I was sent here to stop her and return my Element to its proper place."

Raven claps her hand to her mouth in shock. "Orion was right ... you are an alien! And that shimmery portal at the statue ... that's how you get back and forth, isn't it?" She was almost giddy with glee until she remembered the reason she was there in the first place. "I better tell you now ... Sunset is out to discredit you so you'll never win the Fall Formal. I don't know if she knows who you are yet, but if she finds out, you could be in great danger. Orion and I have been keeping an eye on you, but it looks like Sunset's gonna be making her move soon. Speaking of which, I should go check on him," she says, glancing at the clock. "Watch out for Snips and Snails, her little lackeys. I'll be back in a little bit with Orion, will you still be here?"

Twilight nods, "I have nowhere else to go... see you later, Raven!" She turns back to her work for the moment.

In a different part of school, Orion is walking through the halls, looking for any sign of Sunset. He was relatively certain now that she and Twilight both were effectively aliens. From the shadows, a figure observes Orion as he moves around. "I knew you'd be a thorn in my side, fez-boy ... but soon, you will be under my control. And I think I know just how to do it," she says to herself, slipping away before she is seen.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Orion calls. "I know what you are, Sunset Shimmer... I'm not stupid, you know!"

Two meaty hands grab Orion's arms and pin them behind his back. As Orion struggles to break the hold, Sunset steps out of the shadows. "If you truly weren't stupid, you would have never revealed that information." An evil smile crosses her face. She looks up at her henchman. "Put him in the equipment locker while I go deal with his little sweetie. Don't let him leave."

A monotone voice, almost robotic in nature, responds: "Eeyup." The unseen captor drags Orion toward the gym.

"No!" Orion exclaims, trying fruitlessly to free himself from the arms of his captor, "Don't you dare hurt my girlfriend, Sunset!" Then the doors of the gym close behind him.

Raven left the library and set out down the hall. Her progress was stopped when Sunset stepped into her path. "Well, that was quicker than I thought," she sneered as Snips pinned Raven's arms behind her. "I thought I was gonna have to search the whole school for you." Sunset motioned to an empty classroom and Snips shoved Raven inside, Sunset following. "Wait outside, " she said to Snips, who nodded and closed the door.

Raven fixes Sunset with a surprisingly cold look, "I know all about you, Shimmer... where you're from, what you really are, why you want that crown... but you're gonna lose! 'Cause Orion, Twilight, and I are all going to stop you! And then I'll give you that knuckle sandwich I've been saving!"

Raven flinches as Sunset moves closer, a sinister grin on her face. "Oh, you mean the fez-wearing nerd I have locked in the equipment room? That Orion? Oh no .. in fact, you and him are going to assist me in my conquest of Equestria!" With a flash, Sunset transforms into a demon version of herself, red eyes boring deep into Raven's very being. Sunset's eyes flash, and Raven's eyes turn glassy in appearance, her expression going slack. "Now. Go to your precious Orion, and look him in the eyes as I have done to you. This will place him under my control as well. When the time is right, I will call for you again." Another flash, and Sunset returns to her normal human appearance. "And don't worry about Twilight, I'll deal with her myself. Now go." She opens the door and shoos Raven out of the room.

Meanwhile, Orion has been trying to free himself from the supply cupboard with no real success. At the moment, he's trying card tricks. "Pick a card. Any card at all. You memorise the card, you put it back in the deck. Don't let me see it." His captor picks the card, and Orion has a guess. "The three of clubs?"

His captor shakes his head, "Eenope."

"How about the seven of diamonds?"

"Eenope."

Orion facepalms, "You're doing it wrong!"

Stepping into the room, Raven taps Orion's guard on the shoulder. He looks at her, and leaves with out a further word. Raven keeps her eyes diverted from Orion as she approaches. "You were right ... Twilight told me everything. And it's all going to come to a head at the Fall Formal."

"As I suspected." He straightens up and gives Raven a hug, "This isn't going to be easy, you know... we have to be ready for anything. There's no telling how or when Sunset will attack us."

"She ... already has," Raven says, hugging Orion tight. "She got me a little while ago. She sent me here to get you." She keeps her eyes from looking at Orion.

"I told her not to hurt you..." He hugs Raven back, "Get me? What does she want me for? Someone to gloat to?"

"No ... she sent me to make you her slave, like she did to me." She turns away. "I don't want to ... I don't know how long I can resist."

"As long as we have each other, we can do anything," Orion says softly, kissing her cheek. "We can defeat her by turning her own abilities against her."

"But .. if I look at you, you'll be entranced. How can you fight it when you're under her control? Someone has to look after Twilight and I don't know if I can be trusted right now."

"Raven, there's something you'd better understand about me, because it's important, and one day your life may depend on it... I will do -anything- if it means keeping you safe."

"Okay then, if you're sure ... look me in the eyes." She opens her eyes and stares straight at Orion. "I love you," she whispers, a tear tracing down her cheek.

"And I love you too." He pulls her into a passionate kiss, staring deep into her eyes as he does so.

A flash of light shines in Raven's eyes, and Orion's flash in the same manner. As the two break their kiss, Raven blinks. "I don't feel much different .. but from what Sunset said, she can turn the spell off and on at will. I guess she'll reactivate it when she needs us again. So, what now? There's still Twilight ..."

"Let's go and find her... I want to hear about her plans, assuming she has any." Taking Raven's hand again, they walk back toward the library.

Back at the library, Raven and Orion sit with Twilight. "We'll do whatever damage control we can should Sunset try anything, and if you need a place to go for a while, you can always stay at my house," Raven says.

Twilight smiles, "Thanks Raven... that's really very generous of you!" She gazes around at the other two humans, "You're taking this all very well... I was afraid you'd think I was crazy!" She shakes her head, "Anyway... I'm trying to make friends with Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, and Rarity... but it hasn't been going too well. And if what you say about Sunset's plan to discredit me is true, this will be even harder than I thought.

Raven thinks upon hearing the names. "Yeah ... they all used to be best buddies, until something happened ... more like a series of somethings. Started about a year ago, from what Applejack told me. She never told me exactly what happened, though."

Twilight blinks, "Really? Hm... if I see them tomorrow, I'll ask them. Thanks again for your help, both of you!" She gives them both hugs.

Raven hugs Twilight. "Anytime! My offer still stands if you need a place to stay!"

"Thanks... I'll have to take you up on it soon!" Twilight says happily. "See you later!"


	5. Being Human: 5

div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Life had proceeded fairly normally for Orion and Raven, it seemed Sunset Shimmer hadn't needed to reactivate her spell, allowing them to live relatively normally. The two of them spent as much time as they could together, even on the bus in the mornings, though always under the watchful eye of Longhaul./div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"At last the night of the formal came, and a Mini Cooper with the Trottingham flag on the roof pulls up to the driveway of Raven's house. Orion climbs out, wearing a simple black and white tuxedo with a white bow tie and a matching silk scarf. He walks confidently up the path to the house and knocks on the door!div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Corvus opens the door and appraises Orion's apparel. "Whoa, looking good, dude. Come on in," he says, stepping aside and ushering Orion toward the sitting room. "Raven's getting ready, but I feel it is my duty to warn you ... she doesn't clean up well, and as plain and bland as she looks every day, that kinda carries over int-"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"A flurry of pillows fly down the stairs, striking Corvus repeatedly around the head.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""She'll be right down," Corvus deadpans. "Make yourself to home." He walks to the kitchen.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Orion laughs and follows Corvus into the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of water, "How are you enjoying university?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Corvus sits down and resumes sipping at a bottle of soda. "Things are going great, and they're only getting better," he says. "I'm doing all right, getting good grades..." div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Be careful, Orion, he'll break out the harmonica next." Raven goes over and hugs Corvus, then hugs and kisses Orion. She wears a floor-length formal gown, dark lavender with light accents to match her hair. "You look divine," she says softly to Orion.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""So do you," Orion says with a smile, giving Raven a hug and kiss back. He takes her hand in his, "Ready to depart, m'lady? Your chariot awaits."div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""One second," Raven replies, going over to Corvus. "See you later, big brother. Should be home early, if not, avenge our deaths. Usual stuff." She wraps him in a hug.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Corvus hugs back. "Have fun tonight, sis." He watches as the two exit the house and walk to the car.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Orion Shadow holds open the passenger door for her, then crosses over to the drivers' side and climbs in. Naturally the car is right-hand drive rather than left. He starts the car and pulls out of the drive, moving expertly along the road. "I think tonight is going to be spectacular, don't you?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""I think that whatever happens tonight, it will be one for the record books. I just know Sunset's gonna make her move tonight, I can feel it. What are we gonna do if she decides to activate us for her demon army or something?" Raven fidgets a bit in the seat, clearly concerned about the direction the evening could take.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Roll with it until we have an opportune moment to betray her," Orion says as he turns a corner. "Remember, we have Twilight and her friends on our side... they won't let us lose ourselves."div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Yeah, you're right ... it's great to see them together. Applejack looks happier than I've ever seen her to be with her friends again. And that song-and-dance in the cafeteria? Wow!" Raven watched the scenery pass by.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""You're telling me! They brought the whole school together that day!" Orion smiles a bit, "Of course, chances are we'll have to say goodbye to Twilight too... unless she wants to stay here another two and a half years." They pull up at the school, the grounds were filled with students milling around, all wearing the finest dresses or tuxedos. Orion climbs out and opens the passenger side door. "For you, Lady Raven!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Why, thank you, good sir," she says in her best posh accent, suppressing a giggle as she steps from the car. She takes Orion by the arm and walks with him into the school.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Orion waves happily to Twilight and her friends when he spots them, "Good evening, ladies! You're all looking quite radiant tonight!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"The group waves to Orion and Raven. "Y'all ain't lookin' so bad yerself there," Applejack says. div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Fluttershy approaches Raven shyly. "Um ... that's a very lovely dress you have," she says quietly. div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""At last, emsomeoneem that knows a thing or two about haute couture!" Rarity says, appraising the couple. /div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Yo, lookin' good, dude!" Rainbow says, nudging Orion on the arm. div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Hey Orion, Raven, good to see you two!" Twilight says, giving each of them a small hug. div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Appearing out of nowhere and hugging Orion and Raven within an inch of their lives, Pinkie squeals, "OhmigoshyoutwolooksogoshdarnCUTEreallyIwishIhadmycamerabutit'stoolatenowletmegetyousomepunchberightback!" before dashing off again.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Orion takes out his phone and taps on it a few times, "No need to worry Pinkie, I came prepared!" He holds the phone out, "Self-portrait, everyone!" He refuses to use the word selfie. Everyone gathered around for the photo, and once the photo was taken, the group split up and mingled with the rest of the students, waiting for the announcement about the Fall Formal Queen.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Principal Celestia strides up to the stage as the sound technician brings down the faders. "First off, I wanna say how wonderful everything looks tonight. You all did a magnificent job pulling things together after the unfortunate events of earlier. And now, without further ado, I'd like to announce the winner of this year's Fall Formal crown. The Princess of this year's Fall Formal is... Twilight Sparkle!" Orion applauds heartily with the rest!div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"The entire gymnasium erupts into wild applause, with a few hoots and hollers thrown in by Applejack, as Twilight goes to the stage to retrieve the crown - emherem crown./div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Celestia hands it over with a warm smile, "Congratulations, Twilight."div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"From across the room, Spike is heard to yell "Twilight! Help!" He's trapped in the clutches of Snips and Snails!div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Raven's head swivels around to see Spike being captured. "C'mon, Orion, we've got to st-" She immediately freezes, her eyes wide open and pupils constricted. "We are to await further orders from Queen Sunset Shimmer," she says in an emotionless monotone.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Raven! No!" Orion closes his eyes and growls to himself as he tries to fight against Sunset's spell. "No, Sunset... you will... nnnngh... not win... today..." He holds his head in his hands, eyes clenched shut. "We... no... are to... stop... await further orders... rrrgh... Queen... Sunset... Shimmer…"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"In an effort to free Spike and prevent the portal from being destroyed, Twilight surrenders the crown to Sunset Shimmer. Sunset's transformation begins, and the rest of the student body is swept up in her thrall, awaiting her orders to march on Equestria. Raven's face remains passive on the otuside, save for a single tear rolling down her cheek. She turns to Orion. "We have… have to find… a way to… break this," she says haltingly, and with great effort.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""I'm... trying!" Orion says through gritted teeth, as he undergoes a painful transformation into a demon. His hands become claws, he grows wings, and his hair becomes all spiky. Mustering his strength, he turns to glare at Sunset Shimmer. "You can't... do this! We... won't let you!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"In a flash, Twilight's friends race to her sid to help combat Sunset. Uniting, they unleash a powerful magic that overwhelms Sunset and releases the hold she has over the strudents. Raven, free of the spell, immediately goes to Orion's side. "Orion! Are you okay?" she asks, holding him close.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Restored to his normal human self, Orion smiles and pulls himself up, "Mostly... how about you?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Raven answers by pulling Orion into a tighter hug and deep kiss. "Now that I know you're all right, I'm doing much better. Come on," she says, helpig Orion to his feet and walking out to the new crater just outside of the school entrance.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Orion follows her lead and peers down into the crater, staring at a defeated Sunset. He sees her in tears. Against his better judgement he jumps into the crater and slides down to meet her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You look like someone who could use a friend. Or several."div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Raven helps Sunset to her feet, supporting her. "Yeah ... come on, let's get you out of here." They both help Sunset climb out of the crater.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Orion smiles at the girl who had caused so much trouble for him since he had arrived, "For what it's worth, Sunset... I don't hate you. Your actions were detestable, and you put everyone here in danger... but I don't hate you. You're lonely, and you need a friend." He gives her a quick hug. "I would like to be that friend. You've got two and a half years until you can go home... may as well make the best of it."div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Okay," Sunset says weakly, hugging both Raven and Orion before Vice-Principal Luna approaches. "Miss Shimmer, we need to have a very long talk," Luna says, motioning for Sunset to follow along. Sunset sighs and dutifully follows.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Speaking of that, we need to say goodbye to Twilight!" Raven says, pulling Orion over to where Twilight stood with her friends.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Orion Shadow smiles warmly to Twilight, "That crown looks better on you than it ever did on Sunset, your majesty... you wear it well." He bows to her. "It was a pleasure to meet you. If and when we do meet again, I would like to see your world, sometime."div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Twilight pulls Orion and Raven into a hug. "You two have been such a help to me here, I can't even begin to really thank you! Maybe someday you'll be able to come visit, and when that day comes, I'll be waiting to see you again!" She blinked a few tears from her eyes and said her final goodbyes to her human friends. "Come on, Spike, let's go home." With that, Twilight and Spike stepped into the portal, which shimmered and glowed brightly, before turning once again to an ordinary stone pedestal.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"At last, Orion takes Raven's hand in his own once more, and smiles to her. "May I have this dance, Lady Raven?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""This, and every other one," Raven says demurely as she and Orion walk back inside the school.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"As the band strikes up a slow song, Orion and Raven waltz in the center of the dance floor. In Equestria, their pony counterparts do the same.div 


	6. Through the Mirror: 1

The sky above Canterlot was an ominous, fiery red. The palace had become a twisted mockery of itself, depictions of the sun and moon were hurriedly removed and replaced with ones of a sun covered in yellow and red flame. In the throne room sat a tall, red-skinned creature with fiery hair, demonic wings, and long, clawed fingers. Beside her were her two minions, Snips and Snails, both of them also transformed into demons like herself. Outside, humans patrolled the streets, their eyes glowing malevolently, keeping frightened ponies in line.

Word had spread across Equestria of the Princesses' defeat, and ascension of Sunset Shimmer. Ponies hid, too terrified to risk leaving the safety of their homes, for fear of angering their new Queen.

In Ponyville, six shadows moved through the silent town toward Twilight Sparkle's abandoned library. One of those was small and strangely canine, this was Spike. With him were five other humans, all of whom looked like the ponies Spike had known. Spike pushed open the door, and together the six beings entered the library.

Rarity frowns as the smell of dust hits her nose, wrinkling it in displeasure. "Goodness, this place looks like a disaster! How will we ever find anything to rescue Twilight in this mess?"

Spike shrugged, scampering about on his hind paws as he looked through the papers covering the place, "She's gotta have something we can use, she never throws anything away!"

Abruptly, Pinkie Pie shouted "Hey guys, I think I found something! Look!" She handed over a stack of letters to Rarity, who took them, taking a small pair of glasses out of a pocket of her dress and putting them on. She began to read aloud. "Dearest Twilight: As both your friend and head of the Brownmane-Shadow house, allow me to extend my most sincere congratulations to you on your recent ascension to the throne. You are an inspiration to us all, this is an honor you richly deserve. If you are free, I would like to join you for tea on Wednesday, so we can discuss things in better detail. Your faithful friend, Orion."

Rarity looked up, an expression of confusion on her face, "Orion who?"

Spike stared at her, "How can you not know who Orion Brownmane is? He's only one of the… oh right, duh. You're humans, he probably doesn't exist in your world… long story short, he's kind of a hero, like Twilight is. He's defeated and befriended changelings, once stopped a whole bunch of nobles from overthrowing the government, he even stopped a war with the griffons!"

"He sounds like quite the dashing hero," Rarity remarks, sitting down on the nearest available chair and looking over the other letters, "Find him and bring him here, would you? I think we'll need his help."

"You got it, Rarity!" And with that the purple dog ran off, toward a large manor in the distance.

Shadowfall Manor was a tall, somewhat imposing manor house perched on a hill in the residential area of Ponyville, guarded by a wall with a gate in front, on either side of which sat two gargoyles. The house itself was currently protected by a large blue shield, rendering it largely impassable except by magical means, and sometimes not even then.

* * *

><p>From within his sitting room, Orion Shadow peered out the eerily quiet town, his expression surprisingly grave. He'd spent years guarding his home and country from whatever threats that dared to attack it, but it seemed even this had escaped his knowledge. With the Princesses missing and Sunset Shimmer assuming total control, he was helpless. Needless to say, he was quite surprised when a purple and green dog came running up toward the bubble. With magic he quickly threw open the window and altered the mechanics of the bubble shield just long enough to allow him in. "Spike?! Is that you?! What happened? Why are you a dog?"<p>

"It's a long story ... I'm just glad you're still here," Spike said with obvious relief. "I was afraid you'd been taken along with all of the others. Anyway, it has to do with a portal to another universe, and a possible way to defeat Sunset Shimmer and get the Princesses back! I was sent here to see if you'd be willing to help ... seeing as you're a pretty big hero to Equestria and all." Spike fixed a puppy-dog gaze on Orion, easy to do in his current form, and quivered his bottom lip slightly.

Orion laughs and gives the puppy Spike a hug, and smiles at him. "I've made it my goal to never turn my back upon my country when it needs me... and if the news out of Canterlot is any indication, it needs me now more than ever." He adjusts his bowtie. "Lead on, Spike! And explain this portal you mentioned, it sounds intriguing!"

Spike is so excited, he starts to slurp Orion's face, but stops abruptly, blushing and seeming embarrassed. "Un .. sorry about that. Come on, the others are back at the library. Oh, and if you think I look weird, well, you haven't seen anything yet. I'll try to explain everything on the way." He leads Orion out of the mansion and towards the library, being mondful of patrols by Sunset's minions.

* * *

><p>Stepping into the library, the five turn to get their first glimpse of Orion. Fluttershy is the first to break the silence, squeeing happily. "Oh, you look so cute with that bow tie!" she says, wrapping Orion in a hug before letting him go and shying away slightly. "Um, sorry, but you're so much cuter than the ponies I see on our world," she says softly.<p>

"I've told him the basics," Spike said to the group, "but I'm sure he has questions for all of you."

"Oh, well, thank you," Orion says with a smile, hugging the human Fluttershy back, "Bowties are cool." He steps back, taking in their appearances. "So... Spike mentioned the five of you are... I think the word was humans? Yes, that sounds right... and Sunset Shimmer tried to take over your world?"

"Yes. She needed the crown from this universe's Twilight to do that, and set it up so that when she was crowned queen at the Fall Formal, she could enslave us and take over this world also," Rarity explained. "That was the plan, until your Twilight entered our world and tried to stop her."

"We almost stopped her, but Sunset managed to git the upper hand on Twilight, threastening to destroy us if Twi didn't surrender. Well, Twi being Twi, of course she stepped down. Sunset had her imprisoned in our world and we cain't git to her to free her. Some kind of magical field guardin' her, not to mention her dragon army," Applejack continued.

"Sunset cast a spell to keep the portal from sealing itself up, that's how we were able to get here," said Rainbow Dash. "Twilight told us about where she lived, and Spike here offered to help us get there and see what we could find."

"Sunset also cast a spell to prevent anyone passing through that portal from our world into this one from changing into another form, which is why we're still human and Spike is stil a cute little doggie, but we're not sure if anyone from this world crossing into our world will turn into a human or not," said Pinkie Pie, who seemed incredibly restrained in her actions.

"We'll soon find out," Orion says with a nod. "I've been in parallel universes before... in fact, I know somepony who may be able to help!" He clears his throat and gestures grandly with his forelegs, "Mares and... gentle dogs, may I present, Her Majesty Princess Carrie Shadow of the Lunar and Solar Republic!"

The group focused their attention to where Orion had gestured - a simple crack in the wall. A bright light shone through the crack as it grew large enough to allow a pony to pass through, and out stepped Carrie Shadow. "I heard everything, Orion, good thing you asked me to listen in on-OH MY LUNA WHAT ARE THOSE?" she yelped, jumping behind Twilight's desk and starting to light her horn.

"Carrie, please, relax... it's okay, they're beings from another world! Just like you are to me, and I am to you! Both our worlds are under threat from a mare named Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle and our Princesses are missing, and if we fail to either rescue those captured or prevent any of this from happening we'll all either die or have our minds wiped and become mind-slaves, but... I'm sure we'll do fine." He takes Carrie's hoof in his. "Trust me."

Warily letting her horn relax, she stepped out from behind the desk. "Okay, Orion, I trust you ... you are an Element of Unity in our world, after all. So, it seems that the whole thing revolves around releasing Twilight and ending Sunset's reign of terror. I'm guessing you have a plan?"

"Well, yes... but it requires going into their world." He gestures back to the humans. "Or would, if it was possible to arrive there at an earlier point in time... but the only time spell I know of is only good for short hops, and we might be on the other side of the mirror for days! Perhaps weeks!"

"Maybe this book might help - 'Star Swirl's Time Travel Tips and Tricks For That Vacation You Wanted to Take Three Weeks Ago.' Found it under 'T'," Pinkie announced, holding a seemingly weighty book in her hands. She passed it over to Carrie and Orion.

Orion pauses, and decides that Pinkie Pie has always been and will always be an enigma unto herself, no matter what form she takes. Nodding, he takes the book in his magical aura. "Thank you Pinkie! Now then..." He opens it and begins flipping through, "Extended stays... extended stays... if I were an extended stay spell, where would I... oh! This might prove promising! If cast correctly this spell will last up to 72 hours, allowing the caster, or casters, to alter the timeline as they see fit without affecting their memories."

"And I can do a pinpoint spell that will get us back three days before the Fall Formal, and get us in a position to help Twilight," Carrie said. "Okay, read up on yours and then we'll get going."

"Now, hold on jest a durn minute there," Applejack interrupted. "How in tarnation do y'all plan to git to the portal, bein' guarded as heavily as it is? Shoot, we barely made it past them guards ourselves just to git here!"

"A fair question, Applejack," Orion concedes, looking to Carrie. "We could pose as willing subjects, desiring to turn our fellow ponies in and enslave them all, and let them take us to the portal, only to reveal our true desires when they aren't in a position to oppose us. What do you think?"

"I suppose, we could do that, or, and this is just a wild stab in the dark, but hear me out ... we could simply teleport in behind the guards, use a quick stun spell on them, and walk through unopposed after we cast the spells we need to travel." Carrie looked at Orion with a seriou expression. "Or is that too crazy to work?"

"Actually that sounds like a better plan... always trust a mare's intuition." He smiles up at the humans, bowing his head. "It was a pleasure to meet you all. And I'm sure we'll all meet again, but you won't know we're ponies... because this meeting won't have happened to you yet, and..." He trails off. "Maybe we can meet again when all this is over."

The five go over and offer hand/hoofshakes and hugs. "Good luck, brave ones," Rarity said, "and be sure to seek us out when you get there."

Carrie steps away from the group and beckons to Orion. "While you were having your little hugfest over there," she says teasingly when he approaches, "Spike told me where the portal is located. I can get us both there in one wink so we can conserve our magic, but you'll have to stay close to me while we teleport."

"Aye, ma'am!" With a last wave at the five humans, he takes Carrie's hoof and closes his eyes, ready to go.

* * *

><p>With a flash, Carrie and Orion find themselves standing near the portal, with two guards facing the opposite way directly in front of them. Carrie quickly casts a stun spell and the guards slump to the ground. "Part of my princess training was learning quick-casts. I think I'm getting better at it. Now, you set your spell, I'll get the point spell ready, and we'll walk into a completely alien world where even our very being will be altered in who-knows-what kind of way. You up for it?"<p>

Orion grins at her, "I thought you'd never ask." He lights his horn, thinking of the time spell he'd read earlier. The, when Carrie has the point spell ready, leaps with her into the unknown! "Geronimoooooo!"

Carrie just rolled her eyes and jumped in after Orion. The time spell fired as soon as they passed throguh the portal, and the very fabric of space and time warped around them as they traveled to the human world.


	7. Through the Mirror: 2

The two ponies whoosh through the strange, multi-colored void between the worlds, their bodies transforming into forms more like those of the humans Orion had met. After what felt like a long time but was only a few seconds they were spat out the other end, in the courtyard of an immense school. It was a crisp fall day, and the sun shone down on the two new arrivals as if welcoming them.

Carrie puts a hand to her head. "Whoa ... that was disorienting. Let's see if we can figure out where we are." She looks over the school grounds, studying the giant horse statue in the common area. "You'd almost think they worsipped us here, based on that." She took a few wobbly steps toward the statue. "Okay .. really gonna need some getting used to.."

Orion opens his eyes and looks around, dazedly. He starts inspecting himself. "Legs... still got legs... but only two, I think.." He wiggles his fingers, "I wonder what these are called? Oh, and can I have an apple? All I can think about, apples! Maybe I'm having a craving! That's new, never had cravings before!" He looks down, "Oh good, I still have clothes... bowtie, still cool. Fez..." He feels only air. "I can buy a fez." Then he turns to look at Carrie, and his eyes go very wide. "Look... look at you! You're all... bouncy!"

Carrie gasps, and clasps her arms tightly around her chest. "It's rude to stare, you know. And you look so much more .. gangly, I guess is the word. So ... wanna try going inside? Should be interesting to see how we walk now. And maybe there's apples in there for you."

"Going inside... that's a good idea!" He nods and gets unsteadily to his feet, "By the way, your wings and horn have gone missing," he says breezily, taking his first few steps. It felt odd, he kept waiting for his hind legs to follow with his front ones, when he only had one pair of legs. He then proceeds to walk straight into a tree, and falls onto the ground again.

'Your horn's gone too ... probably for the best, I think thy'd look silly on us in this form," Carrie says. She fares a little better than Orion despite being slightly top-heavy, stumbling over to him and attempting to help him up. "Ah, now I see what these are good for," she says, grasping Orion under the arms and helping him get back on his feet. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you? Here, let me dust you off. no point in you looking like some raggedy man - is that what they're called?"

"Early days, steering's a bit off," he comments, steadying himself and adjusting his bowtie, "And yes... man, I think. Or girl, in your case..." Satisfied, he walks with her toward the building entrance. "At least the weather's nice!"

Carrie nods. "Yes, whomever controls the weather here does a great job.' With much effort to stay upright, they finally approach the doors. Carrie reaches her hand out, and give the door a pull. It opens. "Ah. There we go. After you, Orion," she says.

"Oh, well, if you say so!" He smiles to her and walks through the door, looking around and breathing the smell of the place in through his nose. "Mmm... now there's a smell that never changes! The smell of learning and a well-used school!" His gait, in contrast with the refined, noble trot his pony self had, was far clumsier in this world. He stared at his hands, turning them around and flexing his fingers. "Hm... bony, aren't they? Skinny! It's like a special effect!"

"Well, when you have no magic, you need something for object manipulation. Just wish they didn't seem so fragile," Carrie replied, flexing her own digits. "This whole 'upright' thing feel strange, too, like I could topple ov-WHOOOOA!" Her fall is short but the damage is done, and Carrie is sprawled in an undignfied heap on the linoleum floor. "I'm fine," she says as she shakily rises.

Orion takes Carrie's hand and tries to pull her up, "We're lacking fur... I think humans have something else... skin, was it? That sounds right..." He looks thoughtful, "I wonder what those things on your chest are for.. the others had them too." Then the bell rings, and at once the hallway is filled with students on their way to lunch.

"We'll look it up later," she says, tucking her arms closer to her chest and covering herself up even more. "Let's follow this group and see where they go. I heard mutterings about 'linch,' so maybe we can get some food."

They follow along into the cafeteria, mimicking the other students as they grabbed trays and silverware, and filed in line. Carrie selected a few items, mostly vegetable dishes and a salad, before turning to Orion. She eyed his selections with a bemused look. "Think you have enough food there?" she quipped.

"New mouth, new rules! It's like eating after cleaning your teeth, everything tastes wrong!" His tray is loaded down with, oddly, apples, yogurt, bacon, beans, and a bowl of custard paired with fishsticks.

Carrie shrugged. "O-kay, if you say so," she said, heading to an empty table. She picked at a few lettuce leaves, giving them a uick nibble. "Hm ... not too much different, quite tasty in fact." She picked up a small cup of salad dressing. "I winder if this is the lettuce sauce," she wondered.

Orion tries each of the foods on his own tray, and wrinkles his nose. "Apples are rubbish, I hate apples..." He tries yogurt next, and frowns. "It's just stuff! With bits in!" He tries the bacon and spits that out too, leveling a glare at the lunch ladies. "Are they trying to poison me?" At the beans he nearly vomits. "Beans are evil... bad, bad beans!" Next comes the bread and butter, which causes him to run back toward the main doors and toss it out into the street, hitting a cat. "And stay out!" Finally he goes for the fish fingers and custard. He dips one into the bowl, takes a bite, and grins. "Finally!"

Carrie grinned, and chuckled nervously as students stopped and stared at Orion's antics. "He's not from around here...ah hahaha.. different culture, you know." She leaned in and in a very tense whisper, said, "Okay, now that we've found your food of choice, let's eat and get back to the task at hand, okay?"

"It's not my fault I'm so easily distracted! I have a lot of things to do, my mind's all scrambled to boot!" Orion whispers back. "Let's see if we can find Rarity and the others... they might be able to help us too."

"Sounds reasonable to me," Carrie said, returning to her salad.

"Um ... pardon me," said a timid voice, "but, I was wondering ... if I could share the...table with you...if not, it's okay, I can go elsewhere..." The pink-haired girl was trying hard to shrink herself into her bright yellow sweater, a blush spreading across her cheeks.

Orion Shadow smiles and scooches over to one side, beckoning the pink-haired girl toward the table, "It's quite alright, my dear! Come and join us! This is Carrie, and I am Orion. What's your name?"

Her voice dropped in volume with each word she spoke. "I'm ... um ... Fluttershy." She sat down and looked at the two carefully. "A-are you new here? I don't remember seeing you before."

Orion nods, "Only just transferred. We're from... out of town. Way out of town." He leans in slightly, "Have you seen anypo-anyone with purple skin? Hair like dusk?"

Fluttershy thinks for a moment. "Um, well, I did see someone like that in the hallway earlier. She had the cutest little puppy with her," she said with a smile. "She seemed to have trouble walking and using her hands ... poor thing, I hope she isn't sick."

"Do you have any idea where she went?" He leans in even more, looking excited. At last, a lead!

Fluttershy drew back into her sweater slightly, looking nervous. "L-l-library," she squeaked. "She went into the library. I haven't seen her since."

Orion beams, "The library! Thank you!" He shakes Fluttershy's hand vigorously and quickly finishes eating, then springs to his feet and goes running back toward the door. "Come along, Carrie!"

"Thank you very much. Hope to see you again!" Carrie said as she dashed off after Orion, leaving a very confused Fluttershy in their wake.

Stopping outside the library, Carrie turned to Orion. "Okay, we know she's probably in there. How do we let her know who we are and that we're here to help?"

"Go up to her and tell her who we are and that we're here to help," Orion says breezily, opening the doors and striding inside. "Twilight? Are you here?"

"SHHHHHH!" A lavender-haired girl wearing a floral-print dress shushed the two as she moves past with a cart full of books. "People are trying to study here, you know!" The sound of what could have been someone slamming their hands on a keyboard rang out throuhg the library. This made the girl's eye twitch. "I wish that new girl would learn how to type," she muttered as she continued on with her duties.

Carrie blinked. "I wonder if that sound could be Twilight," she asked.

"Probably... she'd be just as ill-used to hands as we are!" He makes way toward the computer terminals, and smiles when he sees their quarry, "There you are, Twilight! We've been looking all over for you, you never answered my letter!"

Twilight jumped in surprise at the voice approaching. "I-wha-I never sent anypo-anyone a letter, you must be mista-" She stopped and studied the two figures before her. "Your voice sounds familiar ... h-ave we met before?" she asked tentatively.

Orion Shadow facepalms, "Yes, we've met before... it's me, Orion! Remember? I live in Ponyville with you?"

Twilight's eyes shrunk to pinpricks. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "But ... but that's impossible, nopony else knew about the mirror-" She clapped her hand over her mouth.

Carrie rested a hand gently on Twilight's shoulder. "It's okay, Princess Twilight," she said soothingly, "we're here to help you stop Sunset Shimmer." She grinned. "It's me, Carrie ... do you remember?"

Twilight stared, dumbfounded. "B-but ... whata re you doing here? And how did you even GET here?"

"The same way you did," Orion replies, "Via the mirror... but not quite. Carrie and I are from a future where Sunset Shimmer's plan comes to fruition, and she is able to stage a coup on the throne. But we're here now in the past, to avert that future."

"Sunset - won? A coup against the princesses?" Twilight struggles to grasp that concept. "No, we can't let that happen, we have to stop her!" She started to bounce a bit in her seat as her nerves started taking over. "There's got to be a way, I just can't find it! Arrrgh!" She let her head fall on the desk.

"Twilight, relax... please. I'm here, Carrie's here, we can both help you." He squeezes her hand reassuringly. "You have to find the others. Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash. You six hold the key, we're only here to make sure that it happens at all."

"O-okay," Twilight said shakily. "It seems they had a major falling-out. if I could help them to work through it and be friends again, we should be able to stop Sunset Shimmer!" She hugs Orion. "Thank you so much! I'll be sure to call on you if I need help!"

"You're welcome!" He hugs her back tight, then lets go and looks to Carrie, "Ideas? Perhaps we should meet up with the others, or go looking for Sunset ourselves?"

"Maybe we should keep an eye on Sunset, and find out what she's up to. I don't know how she did it, but we're not going to let it happen." Carrie smiled and hugged Twilight. "We're here for you if you need us. Come on, Orion."

"Coming!" Petting Spike briefly, Orion follows Carrie back out into the hallways of the school. "What a strange world this is..."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Carries snarked. "All right, we need to find Sunset Shimmer and see what she's up to."

Orion spots a couple of young men loitering around, otherwise known as Snips and Snails, "Wonder if they're with her..."

Carrie eyes them suspiciously. "Woudn't surprise me. Let's keep an eye on them, they might lead us to her."

Orion nods and follows them down the hall, doing his best to keep quiet.

Turning the corner, the two bump into a girl with curly purple hair, wearing a light blue top and a purple skirt with three diamonds on it. "OH, please pardon me, I didn't see you there," she says with a slightly posh accent.

"Oh! That's quite alright, miss! I didn't see you either." He quickly offers a hand, "I'm Orion, and this is Carrie... and we're on the trail of some ne'er do wells."

"Rarity," she says, taking Orion's hand. "Oh, such a gentleman ... very difficult to find these days," she said, moving a little closer. "Are you two dating?" she asked, looking Carrie over before turning her eyes back to Orion.

"Oh! No, no... we're... brother and sister! Almost! Twins, in fact!"

"Really..." Rarity purred. "Such a pity a strapping lad like yourself doens't have a special lady by his side." She moves closer. "Of course, I'm sure that could change..." she said with a wink.

"Oh, well, that's very nice of you Ms. Rarity, but I'm afraid I haven't time for romance! Lots of baddie chasing to do!" Orion replies, looking around quickly.

"Oh, such a pity ... you'd be a fine catch," Rarity said with a small pout, leaning in close to Orion. "Let me know if you change your mind," she whispered. Straightening up, she waved to the two. "Well, I won't keep you any longer. Ta-ta!" She heads on down the hallway.

Orion Shadow blushes and sighs, racing to catch up, but finds the two boys had long gone... "Great, we missed them! Now what do we do?!"

Carrie looks down the hall. "Nothing to do but go where they went. This way!" She led Orion down the hallway before coming to an intersection. "Great. Wanna pick a direction?"

"We'll split up... I'll go right, you go left!" He takes off down the right fork.

Carrie shrugs. "I guess I'll go left, then." She takes off down the corridor.

Orion walks alone through the halls of CHS, still flummoxed by his new body, and his mission. As before the fate of Equestria rested on his shoulders, but this time, he wasn't sure he could do what he needed to... this new realm with its strange rules and stranger forms was unsettling, and he wondered what would happen if he failed.

Muffled voices came from a bend up ahead. Two masculine voices with a feminine one seeming to dominate the conversation. They were speaking low enough that no certain words could be heard.

Carrie came up next to Orion, her own search having hit a dead end. "Nothing that way ... what's going on here?"

"No idea... I can hear voices though..." He reaches into his jacket pocket and withdraws his magic screwdriver, then walks closer toward the bend, listening carefully.

They turn the corner just in time to see Snips and Snails scurrying off, and Sunset Shimmer standing in the hallway. She eyes Orion, and his screwdriver. "And just what do you prpopse to do with that thing, atomize me?" she sneers.

"Atomize you? Oh please, there's not a setting for it... or wood, for that matter. But no, I'm going to use it to turn off whatever mind spell you have that's affecting the population of this school. I saw all those cliques and divisions, and I know you would be the reason!" He pokes Sunset's nose. "Your plan will end in tatters, Sunset Shimmer. And I will see that it does!" He presses the button, the screwdriver held high above his head. Unfortunately, nothing happens. No light, no noise, no nothing. There is only an awkward silence. Sunset simply rolls her eyes. "Sci-fi geeks," she says before turning and walking away.

Carrie looks at Orion. "I think we better see what those other two are up to."

"Fine..." He tosses the useless screwdriver into a corner, he can always build another when he returns home. That done, he walks off with Carrie. "Do you think she suspects us?"

Carrie shakes her head. "I doubt it," she says, "but if I were you, I'd be careful around her. I just have a bad feeling about this."

"Because of what we saw in the future?" Orion asks. "If we're lucky, the future will never happen and we can go home, nice and safe!"

"Then we'd better keep close tabs on Twilight as well, along with the others. We've only got a couple of days left," Carrie remarked.

The two spotted their quarry, heading to the library. They entered and headed to where Twilight was sitting, keeping out of her line of vision. Carrie quickened her pace. "Do we interfere now, or wait until they grab her?"

"I say wait until we grab her, we don't know what they're planning yet."

Carrie nods and watches as the two seem to be making... videos of Twilight? That didn't make sense. Why would Sunset Shimmer ask for videos of Twilight Sparkle? Still, she kept still and watched the whole thing.

Orion watches what Twilight is doing and frowns, "Whatever they have planned, it can't be good... look at the poor girl! She's making a fool of herself, and she doesn't even know it!"

\"She has no reason to suspect anyone's recording this, either," Carrie whispered. "I wonder if this was part of how Sunset defeated Twilight the first time?"

"Maybe... but what for? Some social event?" He scratches his chin. "I don't understand..."

Carrie looks around the room unil she spots a poster. Nudging Orion, she points to the poster announcing the Fall Formal Dance, with the crowning of the Fall Formal Queen. "Didn't Twilight's crown get stolen? I feel this is connected somehow..."

"If it did, Sunset Shimmer is probably the culprit, and she might be using the Fall Formal as an excuse to create the army she took Equestria over with!"

Carrie shivers. "An army of adolescent humans... there's a scary thought. Oops, they're moving. Better tag along and see where they go now."

"Right!" Orion nods and follows after them once more, wondering what they were going to do with the video footage.


	8. Through the Mirror: 3

div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"The following morning, Principal Celestia's voice rang out over the intercom. "Good morning, students, and happy Thursday. Just a reminder to pick up your ballots for the Princess of the Fall Formal today. They are due at the time the dance starts tomorrow night, so don't forget to turn them in and make your voice heard." Orion and Carrie step inside the building, doing their best to remain inconspicuous. Orion was failing miserably, tripping over his own limbs and generally making an idiot out of himself./div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Carrie seemed to be faring better, if still a bit shaky. She goes over to assist Orion. "I thought we agreed to practice our walking before coming back here today?" she whispered. Turning quickly as a group of tudents passed by shooting strange looks at the two, Carrie smiled broadly. "New shoes, he'll be okay," she said. The students shook their heads and walked away.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""I did!" he whispers back, looking affronted. "Honestly, it's not my fault! These legs are far too tall and much too few! Besides, speak for yourself. At least I have better motor skills. You wouldn't have that makeup on if it wasn't for me." He wiggles his fingers.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""If you're referring to that picture you had me look at as a guide, it make sme gld I found something else," Carrie retorted. "Now, I believe from that announcement that we need to get Twilight to win the election, and in doing so, deny Sunset the chance at that crown."div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Then we need to vote for Twilight when the ballots come," Orion replies, as suddenly a group of students start pointing and laughing at a yet-unseen figure.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Something's going on over there, come on!" Carrie grabbed Orion's arm and led hin toward the source of the laughter.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Twilight Sparkle is walking through the halls, confused about why people are laughing at her. As Carrie and Orion enter, someone shouts "Oh look, it's the other two goobers! They're in the video too!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Carrie and Orion look at each other, confused. "Video? What are they talking about?" Carie asks. She thinks for a moment. "Hey, you don't suppose it had something to do with those other two in the library yesterday, do you?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Probably!" Orion agrees, as suddenly a pair of white arms drags the three of them into an empty classroom. "Hey! Let me go!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Hey, what-" Carrie is dragged along with Orion.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Twilight is dragged in too, just in time to spot Rarity rustling through her bags. "You three will need disguises, it simply isn't safe out there!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Rarity? What's all this about?" Carrie asks. "I heard something about a video - what are they talking about?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Oh it's too complicated to explain, I'll show you..." She takes out her phone and shows off a well-made attack ad against Twilight, focusing on her many eccentricities. Orion and Carrie are painted as helpers, with the three of them intending to ruin the 'traditional' school hierarchy.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Carrie watches the video with a snarl on her face. "I knew those two were up to no good! I knew it! So this is how she plans to -" Carrie stopped talking and clapped her hands over her mouth.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Rarity blinks, "To do what, darling? Finish your thought!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Carrie sighs. "Guess we'd better tell them now, Orion," she says. Taking another breath, she says, "Sunset Shimmer is using this video to skew the results of the voting for Fall Formal Queen. Once she wins, she takes the crown and completes her plan. As a result, Equestria falls."div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Equestria?" Rarity blinks even more, "Darling, whatever are you talking about? I'm sure there's no such place as Equestria, so you have nothing to worry about!" She starts rummaging through her bags and thrusts outfits at the three. "Put these on and go back outside, no one will recognize you!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Carrie looks pointredly at Orion. "Do you wanna tell them?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""I'll tell Twilight... alone. It's easier that way." He starts putting on his disguise, which looks like a blue patchwork jacket complete with a blonde wig.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""You're the boss," Carrie says completing her change complete with wig. "So, how do you propose we fix this little problem?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Well, it doesn't have to be us... we just need to ensure Twilight connects with Rarity and the rest. If she does that, then we can let the chips fall where they may."div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Right. Rarity, would you be so kind as to help Twilight while Orion and I keep an eye on Sunset to see what else she might have planned?" Carrie asked.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Rarity nods, "As you wish, Carrie dear." Orion salutes and makes his way out into the hall.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Carrie smiles and follows Orion. "Okay, so we know Sunset will go to any lengths to get that crown. And we know if she does that, Equestria is doomed. So, how do we counter their smear campaign?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Unify the students so they'll rally around Twilight," Orion says with a nod. "It's all quite simple, really! We just need to pick a time where they'll all be in one place!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Carrie looks over the school schedule. "I don't see any assemblies scheduled ... the only real time everyone is together is at lunchtime. So, we'd have to make sure someting happens in the cafeteria." She sighs. "It better be big to counter the damage that video did."div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""I'll talk to Twilight later today... until then, let's try to fit in and act natural," Orion says.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Carrie nods. "Gotcha. And let's see if we can figure out what Sunset is planning next."div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""If I were a vengeful unicorn, where would I be plotting?" Orion wonders. "A broom cupboard?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Well, we're not going to find out by standing around here all day. Let's look around a bit." She starts walking down the hallway.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Orion nods and goes in a different direction, idly scratching at his scalp. "I look like a clown..."div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Carrie looked around in every open classroom, checking storage areas and the like, with no sign of Sunset or her little helpers.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Orion meanwhile runs off toward the statue portal, imagining they might be there.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"As Orion approaches the portal, he hears voices around the other side of the statue. He stops and listens as one of the voices says, "It worked, Sunset. The whole school now thinks Twilight Sparkle is the biggest dweeb on campus!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Sunset Shimmer smirks, "Excellent... now I'm going to cruise to victory at the formal tonight, and then all of Equestria will be mine for the taking! And neither Twilight Sparkle nor those two grey geeks will be able to stop me!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""I wouldn't be too sure about that, Sunset Shimmer," Orion calls out from behind.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Sunset turns to look at Orion, with Snips and Snails joining in. "Oh, is that so? And just how do you plan to stop us?" She looks over Orion and his outfit. "And who does your hair, a blind wombat?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Orion rolls his eyes, "Actually it's a wig... and I'm not going to do anything, it's Twilight you have to worry about!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Oh really? And just how does she think she's going to stop me?" Sunset sneered, stepping closer to Orion. "I run things around here! I have this whole school under my control, and once I get that crown at the Fall Formal, NOTHING will stop me! Not Twilight, and certainly not you!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Orion just yawns as if bored, "World domination, that same old dream... nopony's power lasts for ever, Sunset! You're going to lose, and I'm going to see to it!" He turns away from her. "Enjoy this while it lasts... after this there will only be a prison cell in your future."div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""I think you've seen the wrong future, dork! And I'll make sure your cell is extra small once my oncquest is complete! Come on you two, we have more work to do." She walks back toward the school, Snips and Snails following behind.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Orion makes his way into the building, looking around for Twilight and her friends, or just Twilight herself.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Twilight is walking through the halls, trying to puzzle out why Sunset would pul such a dirty prank and what the deal was with those other two, when she bumped into Orion coming the other way. "Oh! I'm sorry, I didn't se-Oh, it's you, the one from earlier. I'd kow that hair anywhere." She smirks a little bit.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Orion sighs and pulls off the wig, throwing it in the nearest trash receptacle. "Everypony's been saying that... I don't like wigs, I'm not even a blonde! I'm a brunette, for Luna's sake!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Twilight is stunned. "L-Luna? What do you know of Luna?" she asks, studying Orion carefully. "I feel I should know you, but that's impossible ..."div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Twilight, it's me, Orion! Grey unicorn? Important noble with connections to the Princesses? Saved Equestria from a series of coups and made friends with the changelings?" He waves a hand in front of her face.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""But-but that's impossible! Only Princess Celestia knew about that, nopony else was even made aware of its existence!" Twilight peers carefully at Orion. "You know, you do look a bit like him. How did you find out about the mirror, and more importantly, why are you even here?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""I'm here because in the future, your plan fails," he replies. "Sunset wins and takes over Equestria with her army of teenage humans. She kidnaps the three other Princesses, imprisons you someplace, and generally makes a mess of things... I'm here to prevent that from happening."div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Twilight starts to panic, "Failed? No, I can't fail, Equestria - Princess Celestia - they're all counting on me!" Her face blanches slightly. "That was the only thing I could think of that made any sense, what else can I do?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""You could sing," Orion proposes. "We ponies do that all the time, remember? Sing to the students, sing to unite your friends, and then become fall formal princess. Then, even if Sunset gets your crown, let the magic of friendship do the rest. You're Twilight Sparkle, there is not a challenge you can't beat!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Twilight ponders Orion's words, then smiles with a new determination. "You're absolutely right! I CAN do this! The first step is finding out why Fluttershy, Rarity, and the others had their big fallling-out. Once we can work through that, the rest should fall into place!" She gives Orion a quick hug. "Thank you, Orion. Will you be here to help if we need it?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Of course I will!" He hugs her back, "Just call my name, and I'll come running. Good luck, Twilight." He smiles, then kisses her hand lightly, as a noblecolt would.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""I will!" She blushes as Orion kisses her hand. "I better find the others. There's not much time!" She runs off along the hall.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Smiling, Orion makes his way back down the hall to find Carrie. Nothing could go wrong now!div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Carrie, meanwhile, had spotted Sunset and her minions and decided to follow them. Staying out of sight, she overheard Sunset saying, "Those two gray geeks are going to be trouble. But I've got an idea that will sink Twilight for sure. Did you two get those pictures?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Got 'em, Sunset. But what do you need all those pictures of Twilight's face for?" Snails asked.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Because, " Sunset replied, opening a locker and revealing an outfit similar to Twilight's, "you're going to take more pictures later of Twilight on a rampage in the gym, destroying the decorations for the Fall Formal!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Carrie gasped silently, then turned and retreated back the way she had come. "I better tell Orion about this!" she said to herself, searching for Orion among the other students.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Orion isn't exactly hard to find. He's still wearing that blue coat from earlier and is currently engaged in writing furiously with a pencil and paper. He's so focused he doesn't notice Carrie's approach!div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Carrie skids to a stop next to Orion. "Big trouble! Sunset's gonna-what are you writing?" she asks, peeking over at the paper.div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Everything we've done so far here, in case future generations ever want to know about life in other planets," he replies. "What has our favorite villainess got planned now?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Sunset's gonna try to frame Twilight for wrecking the Fall Formal decorations. I overleard them talking about it just a few minutes ago."div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Orion stops what he's doing, astonished. "Then we need to stop her somehow, before it's too late! And if it is too late, we can try to prove Twilight innocent anyway!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Carrie shakes her head. "I don't know when they're plannig to do that, they didn't reveal that part. Our only hope is to catch them in the act. How'd it go on your end?"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"Orion grins, "I managed to inspire Twilight to perform a song... with any luck, she will rally the students and the votes in her favor will come pouring in!"div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Excellent!" Carrie says happily, clapping her hands. "Hopefully that little change will be enough to completely rewrite the timeline!" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" div  
>div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;""Now, let's go check up on Twilight!" Orion says, springing up to his feet and putting his papers away, then running with Carrie toward the cafeteria.div 


	9. Through the Mirror: 4

Lunchtime was a busy affair at CHS, but it nearly always was. Students filed in and took their places at their usual tables with their usual friends, separated and alone. But then, out of nowhere, someone started hitting their tray against the table. Others joined in, creating a proper rhythm, and then the singing started!

Carrie, witnessing what she believed to be the pivotal moment of the timeline, enthusiastically started keeping time with her hands on the table top, encouraging Orion to do the same. "The whole school is uniting behind Twilight! Isn't this wonderful?" Carrie whispered to Orion, dancing in her seat to the rhythm. She looked around and felt a little twinge of worry. "I don't see Sunset or her minions here," she whispered. "Where could they have gone off to?" She kept her smile and moved to the beat, giving the outward appearance that nothing was wrong.

Orion happily joins in, on perfect time of course, being a pony with a clock on his flank. He grins back at Carrie and at her question, frowns thoughtfully. "I don't know... should I go out and look for them?"

"No ... let's wait until this is over and then we'll head out," she whispered. "I have a terrible feeling I know where they went." The musical number ended, and lunch resumed as normal. Carrie nudged Orion. "Let's go, maybe we can still catch them in the act. I have a camera so we can get pictures of it."

"Smart girl!" He smiles at her and finishes his own lunch, then adjusts his bowtie and makes his way toward the cafeteria exit. On his way he catches Twilight's eye and gives her a double thumbs up.

The two made their way quickly down the corridor to the gymnasium. The area had been decorated for the Fall Formal to take place later that evening. Hours of hard work had gone into turing the humble gym into an autumnal wonderland. Carrie and Orion watched in horror as all of that hard work was being destroyed in a matter of minutes right before their eyes. Carrie took out her camera and started snapping photos. "There ... now we have the evidence that Twilight is innocent when Sunset tries to frame her for this," Carrie said quietly.

"Good thinking," Orion agrees, frowning. "We'll need to go to the principal's office!" He starts heading in that direction, somehow managing not to slip on some ruined confetti.

Carrie grabs Orion by the collar. "Whoa there, not so fast. We can't interfere, remember? At least not directly. I have another plan. You know that kid, Flash, the one with the blue hair? Kinda athletic type? Well, I suspect that he's kinda sweet on our princess, and I know that he'd do anything to help clear her name should the need arise. We'll let him take the evidence to the principal."

Said kid is currently making his way down the hall, humming Twilight's song as he goes. When he spots the wreckage, he stares in surprise for a minute then turns to glare at Orion and Carrie. "Are you two responsible for this?"

"No," Carrie replies calmly, "but we know who is, and we also know that they're gonna try to set up Twilight for it." She pops the memory card out of the camera and hands it to Flash. "All the evidence you need is right here. I know you want to keep Twilight's name clear, don't you?" she asked, with a puppydog expression on her face.

Flash blushes and takes the card, "Yeah, I do... thanks, miss. I'll go show these to Vice Principal Luna."

Carrie smiles. "Good lad. See you at the formal!" she calls after the figure rapidly sprinting down the hall. Apparently, word of the destruction had spread, instigated by none other than Sunset herself, complete with doctored images showing Twilight on a virtual rampage through the gym. Students came by, peeking into the gym and shaking their heads, wondering how they were going to salvage this.

After a while Twilight and her friends return to the gym and witness the destruction first hand. They start getting to work fixing it. Orion joins in too, of course, dragging Carrie along with him.

"It's not like you had to force me, you know," Carrie grumbles, pushing a broom along the floor. "Of course I was going to pitch in and help."

"Oh relax, will you? You know me, I like the direct approach!" He's busy attempting to blow up balloons.

Carrie grabs a balloon from Orion. With a deadpan expression, she inflates it and ties it off expertly. "Anyway, I think we're on track here, better keep an eye out to make sure nothing else happens in the meantime."

"We'll need to get outfits together for the formal," Orion remembers abruptly. "I didn't bring any money with me though..."

"Equestrian bits wouldn't have helped you here anyway," Carrie replied. "Maybe we could put together a couple of outfits from fabrics in the Home Ec room."

"Good thinking," Orion agrees, finishing up. "I think for me, a simple tuxedo.. nothing flashy."

"Well, let's go see what they have. Should be able to come up with something. Couldn't be too hard, right?" The two walk off toward the Home Ec room. A couple of hours later, Carrie is seated in front of a sewing machine, stitching two pieces of fabric together. "How did the pants fit, Orion?"

"Remarkably well," Orion says, trying on a spare dress shirt he found. He'd also found shoes. "How's your dress coming along?"

"Almost done, just a few more ... there!" she says, triumphantly lifting the dress from the sewing table. She steps behind a changing screen, and a few minutes later emerges wearing the dress, a dark green gown. "Fits nice, looks okay ... what do you think, Orion?"

"Gorgeous!" Orion smiles and takes her into his arms, entering a waltz, "It really brings out your eyes!"

Carrie giggles as the two glide around the floor, moving to unheard music.

Orion smiles at her, "You're very light on your feet, Princess Carrie. How do you do it?"

Carrie grins. "Low-carb diet."

He laughs, and they keep dancing for at least until the end of the schoolday.

That night, Orion and Carrie step through the main doors of the school and walk together toward the gymnasium, arm in arm. Orion thinks he glimpses a purple-skinned girl with black and purple hair, but he doesn't get a good look.

Carrie sidesteps a little bit to avoid a girl with eyes askew, blonde hair and gray skin. "Good turnout tonight," she says. "I wonder when they're going to announce the results of the voting."

"Pretty soon," Orion says with a shrug. "Ten bits says Twilight is the winner!"

"That's a sucker bet if I ever heard one," Carrie replies with a chuckle. "Twilight's a shoo-in. Once word got around that Sunset's the one behind the sabotage, her fate was sealed. Say, you wouldn't happen to know just who started spreading that information around, would you?" She gave Orion a pointed look.

Orion coughs, "Oh, a little bird told a few people..." He starts looking around for the punch.

Carrie rolls her eyes and follows Orion, waving to Fluttershy and Rarity as they move through the gym.

Orion comes back with some punch and waves at Rarity and Fluttershy, "You two look positively spiffing!"

"Why, thank you," Rarity replies. "I absolutely adore your tuxedo! You must tell me where you got it!"

Fluttershy squeaks and attempts to hide behind her hair. "Oh… um... thank you," she says quietly.

"I made it," he says simply, blushing at the compliment. "And Carrie made her dress!"

"My, you two are quite skilled, I must say," Rarity replies, looking at Carrie appraisingly. "I honestly never would have guessed you had such talents."

Carrie bluishes a little. "Thank you, Rarity, I'm glad you like them."

Rarity smiles broadly. "We would love to stay and chat, but we must catch up with Rainbow and Applejack, and then go find Pinkie. We're so excited for the vote! We'll speak more later on. Ta-ta!" Fluttershy manages a wave as she is dragged off by Rarity toward where Rainbow Dash is standing.

Orion waves over at Rainbow Dash just as Principal Celestia strides onto the stage, and begins to speak. "First off, I wanna say how wonderful everything looks tonight. You all did a magnificent job pulling things together after the unfortunate events of earlier. And now, without further ado, I'd like to announce the winner of this year's Fall Formal crown. The Princess of this year's Fall Formal is... Twilight Sparkle!" Orion breaks into applause with the rest!

Carrie is less restrained, whooping and cheering at the news! "Yes! Yay Twilight!"

"Twilight, help!" calls out a certain purple dog, Snips and Snails are holding onto him, looking about as evil as they can manage. Orion taps Carrie on the shoulder, "This is it... the big confrontation!" He dives out of the way as Twilight and the other five run from the gym and toward the fleeing pair.

Carrie dodges the others, then moves forward. "Remember, no direct involvement, but we can nudge things a bit if we need to!" She works her way forward to get a better look at what's happening.

By the time they get out there, Sunset Shimmer is confronting Twilight about the crown. "You don't belong here. Give me the crown, and you can go back to Equestria tonight. Or keep it and never go home," she says coldly. Twilight gasps, and Sunset continues. "Tick-tock, Twilight. We haven't got all night. The portal will be closing on its own in less than an hour. So, what's your answer?"

Twilight narrows her eyes. "No."

"What!? Equestria! Your friends! Lost to you forever! Don't you see what I'm about to do to the portal?!"

"Yes, but I've also seen what you've been able to do here without magic. Equestria will find a way to survive without my Element of Harmony. This place might not, if I allow it to fall into your hands. So go ahead. Destroy the portal. You are not getting this crown!"

"Atta girl, Twilight," Carrie says under her breath, "keep that crown away from her."

Sunset commands Snips and Snails to grab Spike, and in the ensuing confusion, she grabs the crown. "At last… more power than I've ever imagined!" She jams it onto her head, and in a terrible flash of teal light makes a nightmarish transformation into the horrifying demon queen that once took over Equestria. "I've had to jump through so many hoops tonight just to get my hands on this crown, and it really should have been mine all along." Sunset growls. "But let's let bygones be bygones. I am your princess now, and you will be loyal... to me!" The student body starts to fall under the spell of Sunset Shimmer, moaning as if in a trance.

"Well, crud. What now, Kemo Sabe?" Carrie asks Orion.

"I know what to do" He calls across the schoolyard to Twilight and her friends, "Friendship is magic, Twilight! Focus on that! She can't hurt you if you focus on that!"

As Sunset prepares her fireball and throws it at the girls, a pink bubble stops them. Twilight calls, "he magic contained in my Element was able to unite with those that helped create it! Honesty! Kindness! Laughter! Generosity! Loyalty! Magic! Together with a crown, they create a power beyond anything you could imagine, but it is a power you don't have the ability to control! The crown may be upon your head, Sunset Shimmer, but you cannot wield it, because you do not possess the most powerful magic of all: the magic of friendship!"

Sunset finds herself wrapped in a swirling rainbow as the six unite in their friendship, efectively sapping Sunset's power and stopping her planned invasion of Equestria. After watching Sunset beg forgiveness for her actions, Principal Celestia picks up Twilight's crown and returns it to her. "I believe this belongs to you. A true princess in any world leads not by forcing others to bow before her, but by inspiring others to stand with her. We have all seen that you are capable of just that. I hope you see it too, Princess Twilight."

Twilight simply replies, "I do."

Carrie brushes away a tear as the crowd erupts into cheers. "We did it, Orion ... Equestria falls no more."

"Indeed it doesn't," Orion replies with a smile, kissing Carrie's cheek. "Now... let's go home!" And he walks with her toward the portal.

"Shame," Carrie says, "I was hoping for one more dance. I suppose I'll collect on it once we return home." With that, the two step quickly through the portal, leaving the human world behind.

Landing back where they were, they find a gathering of Twilight's friends and the remaining Princesses, all of whom are looking shocked. Orion is a little busy hugging himself and going, "I have hooves! And a horn! And fur! I'm me! Thank goodness!"

"I fear we have other issues at hoof, Orion," Carrie says, looking around at the puzzled group. She bows to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. "Princesses, please forgive our intrusion. There was an ... issue that needed to be dealt with. We are happy to report that everything went smoothly and Twilight's mission was a success."

Orion comes back to himself and blushes in a way Luna finds to be completely adorable, "It's a very long story... but we meant no harm! We came in peace!"

Celestia just grins. "Very well. Luna, would you take our guests and have them tell their story to you? I will wait here for Twilight's return."

"We would be delighted, sister. Please, accompany us," Luna said, motioning for the two mirror travelers to follow her.

Orion gets to his hooves and clip-clops down the hall after Luna, his noble gait restored. "I missed four legs... on two I walk around like a drunk giraffe!"

"Now now, Orion, let's not insult the giraffes," Carrie said teasingly. "Besides, we have quite a tale to tell, especially the beginning." The three walk down the hallway as guards snap to attention as Luna passes, particularly one blue-maned, orange-ish guard pony who looks strangely familiar to Orion and Carrie.

Orion raises an eyebrow at him, glances back in the general area of the mirror, then back to the pony. "Right. Okay then." And he keeps going, moving to catch up with Luna now.


	10. Song of the Sirens: 1

It had been six moons since the fall of Sunset Shimmer at the hands of Twilight Sparkle and her friends. In that time, she had grown close with the members of Rainbow Dash's new band, the Rainbooms, as well as Orion and Raven.

The peace and tranquility of the morning as students poured off the buses into the building was shattered when, far above their heads, two figures could be seen hang-gliding their way toward the school. Orion wasn't doing very well, he didn't seem to have too much control over his flight path. Nevertheless he kept going along, whooping and hollering joyfully.

Raven glided alongside, keeping a close eye on Orion's flight path. "Pull up a bit! You're getting too close to the trees!" she called out, adjusting her glide path accordingly. She smiled as she watched him have fun. They had been an item since the first day they met, their bond growing stronger after the Fall Formal incident. She had taken the awkward kid with the fez and opened his world to new experiences, and he had shown her a world she never believed she would have ever seen in her lifetime, the world of nobility. Although Orion's mother did scare the bejeebers out of her at times, Raven could see that Orion's mother did approve of her.

"I'm trying!" Orion says, attempting to copy her movements. He manages to go up just in time to avoid being hit in a sore spot by one of the trees below. Then his phone rings, and he facepalms. "Who could that be?!" He starts flying with one hand as he puts his phone to his ear, "Hello? Who is this? I'm a little busy!"

"Orion, it's Sunset. I really need to speak with you, are you close to the school?" said the voice on the other end. "For that matter, where exactly are you? It sounds like you're standing in a wind tunnel."

"Look above you! We'll be landing on the roof!" He whoas and tries valiantly to steer himself in the right direction, "I'll have to put you on hold!"

Sunset looks up and sees two hang gliders approaching the roof of the building, one in a controlled glide downward, the other dipping spiraling toward what was sure to be a very rough landing. Sighing, Sunset closed her phone and ran toward the stairway to the roof. A loud THUNK caused her to increase her speed. She arrived on the roof in time to see Orion sprawled on the rooftop, his glider underneath him. Approaching cautiously, she looked down at him. "Yo, Orion ... you all right?" she asked.

"Maybe? I certainly hope so..." He staggers to his feet, wincing in pain. "Ow... maybe not... That's it, no more hang-gliding for me..." He grabs onto Sunset's and Raven's hands for support. "So... you called?"

"I wanted to give both of you a heads-up. Canerlot High is holding a Musical Showcase, to raise money for the after-school programs here. The sign-up form is in the gym if either of you are interested. And, um ... " Sunset kicks at the rooftop. "Well ... if either of you were looking for anyone else for their group. I haven't been having the best of luck in that area. I ... kinda think you know why."

Orion grins and hugs both girls, "A musical showcase? That sounds amazing! I play the keyboards, myself." He smiles gently at Sunset, "I'd love to have you join us." He looks to Raven, "How about you, love? Any objections?"

Raven shakes her head. "Nope, none here. I play a pretty mean guitar, actually. This sounds like it could be fun! And yeah, I'd be cool with you joining us, Sunset, so don't sweat it. We'd better get signed up, then."

"To the gym!" Orion proclaims, making his way toward the door that led into the building proper, leaving his glider behind. It was broken anyway.

Raven and Sunset follow Orion to the gym. Students are hard at work making posters advertising the event. The trio stop at the doors and look around. "Okay, let's make it official," Raven said. She walked off to look for the signup sheet.

Orion meanwhile grabs some paper and finds a place to work, "What instruments do you play?" he asks, looking toward Sunset.

"I never really learned to play one ... former pony and all, remember?" she replied. "I sing, mostly. I'd be happy singing backup, I just want to do something..."

"Backup? Oh goodness no, we'd have you do lead," he smiles at her, "You need something to define yourself. Apart from the whole she-demon thing. No offense."

Sunset sighs. "None taken ... I am really never gonna live that down."

"Unless, you know, you do," Orion says with a smile. "Everything's going to be fine! The showcase will probably be large enough to take everyone's attention off you."

Sunset could feel some of the other students staring at her. "Let's hope so," she says softly.

Raven returns to the group. "I got us signed up. When should we start rehearsing?" she asked. "And, more importantly, where?"

"We could use my house," Orion suggests. "Lots of empty rooms, weirdly enough... and maybe today, after school?"

"Works for me. I'd need to stop at home and get my stuff first. That okay with you, Sunset?" Raven asked.

"Um, sure. I've never been to Orion's house yet, so I'd probably need directions or something." Sunset said.

"It's the big mansion with the gargoyles," Orion says breezily. "You can't miss it. And I mean you really can't." Then the bell rings, signaling the end of the break period before classes.

"Don't worry, you can come along with me," Raven said, giving Sunset a reassuring hug. "Let's catch up after school okay?"

Sunset smiled and hugged back. "Thanks, Raven. See you later on." The trio headed off to their respective classes.

* * *

><p>At lunch that day, Orion is munching on a banana and turning a peculiar device he'd found in the hallway around in his fingers. It was silver with a blue gem at one end, and a button. He presses it, but nothing happens. "What in the world is this thing?"<p>

"Whoa, cool! Where'd you get that?" Raven asks, sliding into a seat opposite Orion. "Looks kinda futuristic, whatever it is."

"I found it in the hallway today," Orion says. "Must've been lying here for ages!" He pockets it and smiles to her, "Got any ideas for band names? I was imagining something kind of progressive rock-ish."

"I haven't given it much thought, but maybe we could brainstorm some after practice." She looks around and sees Sunset entering with three new girls. "Looks lke Sunset's playing tour guide. Must be new girls, I don't recall seeing them before."

"Me either," Orion agrees, looking at the three new girls. "I wonder why they're all wearing the same necklace... some kind of uniform?"

Raven shrugs. "Maybe some kind of cliquish thing. Or maybe they're all related, I dunno." She returns to her lunch. "Any ideas for what song we're gonna do?"

The object in Orion's pocket buzzes slightly. He grabs it and stares, the blue light was flashing. "So it does work! What's going-" He freezes in mid-sentence as the sirens begin their singing, and looks up to watch them.

The song finishes amidst the sounds of arguing and bosting from the assembled students. A green mist spreads throughout the cafeteria, causing the object to vibrate and emit a high-pitched whine. "Battle of the bands?" Raven asked. "Hmmph. As if there'd be any competition. My band would wipe the floor with these posers."

Orion is unable to see the mist, but stares at the device in confusion some more. Then Raven speaks, and he turns to glare at her. "I beg your pardon? I believe this is -my- band!" He points an accusatory finger. "You cannot hope to beat my masterful, keyboard-based melodies!"

Raven snorts. "Oh please. Your synth-pop pretentiousness is no match for my hard rockin' beat! And if you want to be that way about it, then I'll form my own band! Then I will laugh with glee while you lay broken at my feet like all the other losers!"

Sunset, being unaffected by the sirens' song, sees the mass chaos being created. Seeing Raven and Orion arguing makes her heart sink. "Theres only one thing I can do ... I sure hope it works." She slips out of the cafeteria, the din echoing down the hallway until the doors close.

Orion angrily straightens his bowtie and turns on his heel, "Begone, witch! I shall never speak to you again!" He stalks away, his progress watched by a light-skinned girl with electric blue hair and purple sunglasses, who was wearing a pair of headphones.

Raven angrily gathers her things and storms out of the cafeteria. She had a band to organize, and quickly. Luckily, she had a few favors she could call in to her musician friends.

The blue-haired girl with the sunglasses and headphones watched all of this. A frown crossed her face briefly, quickly replaced by a smile as she bobbed her head to the beat of the song now playing. She adjusted the volume and made her way through the arguing students toawrd the exit.


	11. Song of the Sirens: 2

That afternoon, the distinctly separate, newly-formed bands of Orion and Raven now met in their respective practice rooms, instruments and songs at the ready.

Orion's band was called The Clockstoppers, and they were composed of himself on keyboards, Blues Noteworthy on bass, Time Turner on drums, Caramel on lead guitar, and last of all Simon Le Pon as the lead vocalist and songwriter. The quintet was currently in an empty room of Shadowfall Manor, tuning their instruments or, in Simon's case, looking over lyrics.

All five were dressed in some rather posh, 80s-esque gothic outfits with some make up, mostly nail polish and eyeliner. The drummer counted to four and the song began!

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in a garage across town, Raven consulted with her new recruits. "Now remember, as Birds of a Feather, we not only have to sing well, and play well, but look fabulous! So, that's why I picked out these outfits. Nice, huh?" Raven said, twirling around and showing off her skin-tight spandex jumpsuit.<p>

"It's nice, Raven, but does it have to be so... revealing?" Amethyst Star, the bassist, asked as she tugged at her outfit. Colgate Minuette, the drummer, shrugged. "I dunno. Time Turner seemed to really like it. I mean, REALLY like it." She waggled her eyebrows. Electric Sky, the rhythm guitarist, and Berry Dreams, the keyboardist, just rolled their eyes.

"You'll ge tused to it. Now, from the top - 1, 2, 3, and-" The band launched into their song.

At the end of their song, Orion grins at his fellow bandmates and gives a contented sigh, "Excellent work, friends. Simon, your singing and lyrics were top-notch, as ever! Keep it up and we'll blow away the competition!"

Simon smiled back, "Thanks, Orion. We're still going to that party for everyone who signed up to the showcase, yeah?"

Orion nods, "Of course! But remember, don't breathe a word of this to anyone, or they'll start stealing our ideas." The other members nod and begin putting away their instruments and other equipment, then when that was done went off to wash off their makeup and change outfits. A while later, they all piled into Orion's car (an Aston Martin) and drove off toward the high school for the party.

* * *

><p>"Whoo! Yeah! We NAILED that one!" Raven said, enthusiastically high-fiving the rest of the group. "Oh, this competition's in the bag!"<p>

"Speaking of that, are we still going to the kickoff party tonight?" Berry asked. "We'd better get ready if we are,it's getting late."

"Oh shoot, you're right. Okay girls, great rehearsal tonight. Remember, not a word of what we're doing to anyone. Let's let it be a surprise," Raven said with a slightly evil grin. "Okay, let's get changed and get going." A short time later, the quintet piled into Raven's little Nissan and headed off to the party.

The atmosphere was tense. What should have been an opportunity for students to mix and mingle had become an oppressive reminder of the current divisions. People stood in their own groups, talking only to their fellow bandmates and occasionally glaring at some of the other performers.

The doors of the gym swing open as Orion's band stride into the room, and as one head over to the refreshment table for some punch. Orion looks around for any signs of a certain purple-skinned witch, and smiles. "Good, no sign of her... I wouldn't care if I never saw her again as long as I lived," he remarks in an undertone to Simon. "She's a traitorous little enchantress, I don't know what I ever saw in her."

"I swear, he's so full of himself. So vain, really, he probably thinks every song I write is about him, that little-" Raven and group stop short in front of Orion and his band. "Oh. It's you. Come to see how bad you're gonna get your narrow little hiney kicked in the competition?" Raven sneered.

"Only in your dreams, demon," Orion hisses, glaring at Raven. "It's you who are going to be beaten soundly! You and your little ragtag bunch of mediocre musicians!" He turns his back on her, "Go find someone else to bother. You're not wanted here."

Alone in a distant corner stood that pale-skinned girl with the sunglasses, blue hair, and ever-present headphones. She frowns at the two arguing bands and reaches into her pocket, pulling out a headphone splitter, and wondering. She knew a lover's quarrel when she saw one, but how to patch it up?

"Listen here," Raven said, flicking Orion's bowtie, "I have as much right to be here as your pathetic little loser group. And, when we win this thing, I'm gonna take great delight in making you eat your words. Pity, I won't be providing any Branston pickle to go with it, you pathetic sod! C'mon, girls, let's leave these losers in our dust!" She stalked off, the rest of the group trailing behind.

Orion scowls and glares around the room some more, his fury increasing. In his pocket, the mysterious object remained where it was, silent for now. In the corner he spots the girl with the headphones looking at him and barks, "What are you looking at?"

The girl raises her hands in a submissive pose, and wanders off, still looking at the headphone splitter and wondering if she should even get involved, much less how.

The doors fly open and in walk Adagio, Sonata, and Aria. "Oh, no! No one's mingling! It's like there's some kind of underlying tension that could bubble to the surface at any minute!" Adagio said with a sly grin.

"It's the fruit punch, isn't it? I knew I used too much grape juice!" Sonata fretted.

Adagio facepalmed. "It's not the fruit punch! It's us!"

Aria piped up, "But the punch is awful, too."

Sonata pushed her way to be nose-to-nose with Aria. "What do you know about good fruit punch?"

"More than you!" Aria retorted.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

Adagio silenced the both of them. "This is just the kickoff party, girls. Imagine what a tizzy they'll be in by the time the Battle of the Bands starts."

Orion turns to the glare at the three sirens, unaware they were the source of all this trouble, "Have you quite finished? Some of us are trying to narrow down our set lists!" He and his fellow Clockstoppers step up toward them, eyes narrowed. "Wait... you must be the new girls Sunset mentioned. Didn't I see you at lunch earlier?" He sizes them up, looking at Adagio in particular, since she seemed to be the leader.

Agagio steps to Orion, meeting his gaze. "Oh my, what have we here? Could it be that you think you're actually going to win this little competition?"

Raven pushes in front of Orion. "You're going down, witch! We've got this thing locked up tight! It won't even be a battle!" The rest of Birds of a Feather responded in the affirmative.

Adagio chuckled. "Talk about throwing down the gauntlet! This group is obviously serious about winning! A little cocky though, aren't they? Claiming there won't really be a battle. Seems they think they already got this thing all locked up."

"Not if the Great and Powerful Trrrrrixie has anything to do with it!" shouted Trixie, glaring daggers at everyone.

"Whatever, Trixie! We're the best band at CHS!" Raven yelled.

"No! The Crusaders are gonna win!" chimed in Apple Bloom.

The rest of the students began arguing even louder. As they did so, the object in Orion's pocket started to buzz.

Orion takes out the object and glares at it, "Aaaaargh! Why do you keep doing this!" he shouts at it, his hand shaking. He points it at Adagio and the girls, "It vibrated around lunchtime too... I remember!" He pushes the button experimentally, wondering what was about to happen next.

Accompanied by a buzzing noise, the blue diode at the end of the device started to glow, sending an ultrasonic pulse at the Dazzlings. They were pushed backwards by the pulse, but quickly recovered their ground. The device shut down and retracted once the magical signature was no longer detected.

Adagio turned to the other two. "I think we may have found what we're looking for. Or rather, it found us."

Raven stood and watched, stunned, as did the rest of the student body. Eventually, the gathering returned as it was, but with that undercurrent of mistrust and rivalry.

Orion pockets the device and turns away, then looks to his bandmates. "Meet me outside, we can rehearse later... I need to go find Sunset Shimmer." He runs off, brushing past several people on his way and completely ignoring Raven's presence.

Raven shrugs and moves back with her bandmates. "C'mon, let's get a drink or something."

The blue-haired girl with headphones suddenly stops and a smile spreads across her face. She rushes out of the gym. She needed to get to her computer. It was a crazy idea, but it just might work.

Orion wanders the hallways at first, then remembers he has Sunset's number programmed into his phone. He takes it out and taps the screen a few times, then the screen changes to a picture of Sunset as it tries to call her. He holds the phone to his ear, tense. "Come on, pick up..."

Hearing Orion's distinctive ringtone, she clicks Answer. "Orion, what's up? You seemed a little off today."

"Yes, well, I'm having an emotional day... Meet me at the bakery, I'll explain everything there!"

"Okay, I'll be there in about fifteen minutes." Sunset hung up the phone and headed out to the bakery.

* * *

><p>Sunset and Orion were seated at the bakery, several baked goods between them along with beverages. "Okay, so tell me exactly what's been the trouble with you today. I don't like seeing my friends like this."<p>

"Oh, a lot of things... Since lunch Raven and I have been acting really nasty toward each other. I can hardly stand to be around her so I formed my own band. Then I found this." He takes out the device, "It's gone off around those new girls you talked about, but I don't know why. Any ideas?"

Sunset takes the device and studies it. "Hmm... I noticed that when the new girls started to sing in the cafeteria today, everyone seemed to go into some kind of trance... except for me. I felt a strange magic- That's it! This thing must be attuned to magic somehow. But how did it end up here? And how did you come into possession of it?"

"I just found it in the hall," Orion says with a shrug, letting his teacup warm his hands. "Attuned to magic? You mean like pony magic? The kind used to defeat you, no offense?"

Sunset grimaced. "None taken. But yes, that kind of magic. Tell me, what else does it do around those three?" She idly pressed the button. The device chirped once and blinked before shutting back down again.

"Buzz loudly, for a start... At one point it pushed them backwards, but I'm not sure why."

"Maybe you don't but I know someone who might." She pulled a book out of her bag, setting it on the table. "When I was Princess Celestia's student back in Equestria, she gave me this. Even after I abandoned my studies, I held onto it. Deep down, I guess I knew I was making a big mistake, and I wanted to still have a way to reach out to her. Maybe it still works. It used to be that if I wrote something here, it would appear in the pages of a book back in Princess Celestia's library. I get a message to her, then she can get a message to Princess Twilight. She might have an answer as to what this thing is, and why it reacts around the Dazzlings."

"Clever!" He smiles at the book then hands over a pen, "Write away, Sunset!"

Sunset takes the pen and sighs. "Been a long time since I've written these words. 'Dear Princess Celestia...'"

* * *

><p>As Sunset writes in her book, across town, a blue-haired girl rolls a mousewheel and stares at a computer screen. Periodically, she'll pause and study a particular something. This time, she has it! Right-clicking and pointing to 'Send to device', she left-clicks and watches the progress bar with a smile. One down, one to go...<p>

* * *

><p>Songs Performed:<p>

Duran Duran: "Planet Earth": /8NF6Qa84mno

Vixen: "Cryin'": watch?v=cxGYHnTRMAw


	12. Song of the Sirens: 3

_Meanwhile, in Equestria..._

* * *

><p>In Shadowfall Manor, Orion is in his study looking over some papers when suddenly a scroll appears. With magic he unrolls it, and begins to read the contents. The summons, written on parchment and sealed with Twilight Sparkle's royal seal, reads : "To Sir Orion Brownmane, I apologize for the intrusion into your time, but a grave crisis has arisen and you are the only one that Princesses Celestia and Luna recommend to help combat it. I cannot go into details until we meet in person, but I can inform you that the balance between two worlds is in peril, and unless action is taken immediately, a force greater than any we have faced before will prevail and split the worlds in two. Please come to the Crystal Palace as soon as possible so we may confer on this matter and find a way to stop it. Most sincerely, Princess Twilight Sparkle."<p>

Surprised and bewildered, Orion springs to his hooves and gallops toward the Crystal Palace as quickly as he can. "There's not a moment to lose!"

In the Crystal Tree Palace, Princess Twilight Sparkle sat anxiously, awaiting Orion's arrival. She had heard of his involvement in the incident regarding Sunset Shimmer's eventual redemption from both of the princesses, who enthusiastically recommended him as the only pony that could possibly shed some insight into a possible way todefeat the sirens thathad seemingly taken over Canterlot High. In an effort to remain composed, she flipped the pafges of a book with her magic, more research on sirens and how they behaved.

Orion is let in by Spike, who had been munching on a ruby. "Orion's here, Twilight!" he calls. Orion bows before the purple alicorn. "I received your summons majesty, and came as quickly as I could... you mentioned the balance between worlds was in peril?"

Twilight smiled a relieved smile. "Sir Brownmane, thank you for arriving so quickly. It seems there is another incident brewing at Cangterlot High. I was made aware of it by Sunset Shimmer, who sent me a message through this special book of Princess Celestia's." She motioned to the book, then to a chair opposite hers. "Please, have a seat. Tell me, what do you know of sirens?"

Orion takes a seat and at her words, tries to recall everything he knows about sirens. "The sirens were three beautiful but dangerous creatures who had the power to charm ponies with their music. But to maintain this power, they had to feed on the negativity and distrust of others. The more of this negative energy they consumed, the stronger their voices became, and the farther they could spread their dark magic. If the sirens had their way, they would have divided and conquered all of Equestria. But a certain Star Swirl the Bearded wasn't having it. Rumor has it he found a way to banish them to another world – one where he believed their magic power would be lost."

"You've truly done your homework," Twilight said, impressed. Her expression darkened. "It seems the world they were banished to is the very one that I was sent to, when Sunset Shimmer attempted her rebellion. Now, we know there's no strong magic in that world, but is it possible that our battle mighthave awakened their appetites due to the magic being flung around, and possibly gave them the strength to attempt to conquer that world?"

"Theoretically, yes," Orion agrees. "Sunset took a large risk to introduce your Element of Harmony into that world. When she took it from you, the act of doing that introduced Equestrian magic into that world, and increased that amount when you and your friends defeated her. Doing so has set off a chain of events as exemplified by the presence of the sirens. If they cannot be defeated in time, the amount of magic in the human world will continue to grow, until eventually the very fabric of their reality begins to shift and change, it could make for a complete apocalypse!"

"Then we have to find a way to stop them! Which leads me to my next question," Twilight said, opening the magic book and reading wuickly until she found the part she was looking for. "Orion, I know you were in the human world with me, and it's because of your assistance that events unfolded like they did. I have read the official report from the debriefing that Princess Luna gave you, and that's a large reason why you were selected to help. Sunset reported that your counterpart found a strange device in the halls of the school. She says it seems to feed on magic as well, and at one point it was fired at the sirens and was able to at least knock them around a little. Is this something that could draw enough power to aid in defeating the sirens?"

"Ah yes, the magic screwdriver... I wondered where that went. And it absolutely can, it contains an internal storage unit that stores... well, pure magic, like a unicorn horn. It takes a while to charge though, my counterpart will need to let that happen..." He looks toward the book, "Can I borrow that for a moment?"

Twilight slides the book over to Orion. "Anything that you write in there will be transmitted to the companion book in the other world, and vice versa. I'm sure they'd be grateful for some instructions on what to do with that thing."

Orion takes the quill in his magic and begins to write, "Dear Other Me... goodness, that's weird to write... how we managed to not bump into each other I'll never understand. Anyway, I'm rambling. The device you are holding is called a magic screwdriver, and it contains a small amount of pure Equestrian magic, like the kind you saw at the Fall Formal. To use it, point it at whatever your target is, and press the button on the side. There are other features, such as analyzation of magical energy signatures and, for reasons I don't understand, it can unlock doors. Just don't use it on anything made of wood, it won't do anything. Also, you must let it charge all the way in order for it to be used to its fullest extent. Depending on the amount of magic in the area, this can take anywhere between minutes or days, even weeks. Use it wisely, use it sparingly. It's yours now, I can build another. Good luck."

When Orion finishes, Twilight takes the book and reads what he wrote. "Excellent. That should help them along. I'll write in what we know about the sirens and that should give them enough information to defeat them once and for all. If they don't ... I shudder to think what could happen to them ... and to us."

"Well, the Dazzlings would probably try to take over the world... both worlds. Though, if my counterpart really is me, he won't let that happen." He smiles a little at Twilight, "One of these days we should talk when the fate of the world isn't resting on our shoulders. What do you say?"

"I would love that. We could get together over tea and share stories about how we saved Equestria. Who knows, our adventures could be the spark that inspires others to write stories about us, maybe even little plays ... oh, wouldn't that be cute, to see how we are portrayed by others?" Twilight smiles broadly. "Thank you again for your help, Sir Brownmane. I'm hoping we won't need your services again so soon, but if you could, be ready to depart on a moment's notice. Princess Celestia specifically said this was a test for Sunset and we were not to interfere, unless the situation grew extremely dire. She has faith that Sunset will triumph, and I share that sentiment. However, she also said that while we hopef ro the best, we should prepare for the worst. Can I count on you?"

"Always," he says with a smile, saluting. "Princess." He gets to his hooves, "Suppose we start reviewing how to break mind-control spells?"

Twilight nods. "That would be a good start. I would also ask you to work on another screwdriver. It might come in handy." After a pause, she adds, "It's a human expression."

Orion laughs, "I figured it would be... the human world was a strange one, but I've grown to like it!" And so he trots with her toward the library room.

* * *

><p>Later that evening, the Clockstoppers return to the gymnasium and head backstage to prepare for their act. They weren't the first ones up, but Orion figured they could use the extra time to rehearse. They file out of the dressing rooms, dressed in their full-on eighties-gothic glory, Orion even has eyeliner and nail polish!<p>

On the opposite side of the stage, Birds of a Feather wrer putting the finsihing touches on their makeup and fixing their hair for extra floof. Raven was discussing which songs they would do against which teams, depending on where in the draw they fell.

Orion meanwhile has a copy of the bracket printed out, which he's looking over with Simon. "I've got plenty of songs in mind for tonight, but if we end up going against the Birds, I've got one in particular I want to do..." Orion was saying. Simon nods in agreement.

After some time, the judges, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, call their first act to the stage: The rapping duo of Snips and Snails.

"Oh, can this be any easier?" Raven said, seeing that they were up next. As Snips and Snails finished to a stunned silence, Raven and the girls filed onto the stage and got behind their instruments. "Next up: Birds of a Feather," Celestia announced. Raven gave a smile and a nod, and the girls launched into their number. Seeing Orion in the wings as they finished the song, Raven gave a smirk and stuck her tongue out as the group exited.

Orion tries not to vomit at the truly abysmal display by Snips and Snails, and winces at the feedback caused by the mic drop. When Raven passes by, he rolls his eyes and tries to ignore her, before his group takes the stage.

Orion seats himself behind his keyboard and places his fingers on the keys, ready to go. Behind here, he felt absolutely secure. Time Turner counts them in and the band perform their number. He'd asked Simon to pour as much venom as he could into the words, and every so often glanced at Raven with a vicious glare.

Raven seethes silently, but you could see that the words to Orion's song had an effect. Next up was Derpy and her ensemble, with Derpy playing the musical saw. Many more acts followed until the next pairings were announced. This time, The Clockstoppers would be squaring off against Birds of a Feather. Raven's group earned the right to go first. Assembling back on the stage, Raven gave a subtle nod to her bandmates, and a look that dripped of contempt to Orion as the drummer counted down.

The song finished to some cheers, and Raven's group left the stage smiling. Passing Orion, she gave him a bump. "Beat that, stickboy." She and the other girls brushed by Orion's band as they made their way backstage.

"With pleasure," he growls, furiously straightening his everpresent bowtie (bedecked with sequins tonight for the occasion) and taking his place behind his keyboard again, launching the band into his latest salvo of what was becoming a musical lover's quarrel.

Following the other acts, Vice Principal Luna stood. "It seems we have a tie. We will ask the Clockstoppers and Birds of a Feather to perform one more song. By flip of a coin, Birds of a Feather will perform first."

Brimming with confidence, Raven and her band strode onto the stage. "Okay, no holding back this time, girls. Give it all we got!" A soft chorus of "yeahs" followed as Raven stepped to the microphone. Raven raised her pick hand as the drummer counted down.

Practically shaking with rage as the Clockstoppers replace Birds on stage, he manages to calm himself to lead the band in another cover version. Their version contains instruments not present on the original recording, such as his synthesizer, and for the first time he takes lead vocals, infusing his performance with far more anger and bitterness than McCartney had ever managed.

Meanwhile, Sunset Shimmer was watching Orion and Raven's musical fight. She hated seeing her friends at each otehr's throats like this, when only a few days ago they were so happy with each other. "I hope I get an answer soon," Sunset said, patting her book.

Standing next to her, Vinyl patted Sunset on the shoulder and gave her a look that said, 'Don't worry, I got it covered.' She held up the splitter and her music player and smiled before making her way backstage.

As the judges go to make their decision, Orion goes backstage with the rest and glares furiously at Raven, then says "Consider yourself annihilated, toxic succubus!"

Raven glared hard at Orion, pushing up against him. "I'm gonna look those words up, you know! And if I don't like what I see I'm gonna redefine your entire face!" A hand separated the two. It was Vinyl, motioning for Orion to follow her. "Yeah, you can have him! And good luck to you!" Raven spat.

"Why anyone in this school would bother paying attention to you I can scarcely imagine," Orion shouts back, following Vinyl outside. He looks at her. "Hoping to give me some relationship advice, are you?"

Vinyl said nothing, but shook her head sadly at Orion. Unplugging her headphones, she plugged the splitter into her music player, and plugged her set and another set of headphones into them. Handing Orion the extra set, she motioned for him to put them on. Once he had done so, Vinyl pressed the play button on her player, staring at Orion the entire time to watch his reaction.

Orion stares, mouth agape, as the song begins to play. It had been a song he had listened to dozens of times over the years, but he had never really appreciated it until he and Raven first met. In fact, it had been this song they danced to at the Formal so many moons ago. And no matter how hard he tries, he can't bring himself to hate those memories. He starts to cry as the song ends.

Vinyl gave Orion a big hug, and offered him a tissue to dry his eyes, then she motioned for the two of them to find Raven. Raven was still milling around the backstage area when the two approached. "Oh, don't you two make the cute couple!" Raven sneered.

Vinyl placed a finger against Raven's lips, and placed the headphones over Raven's ears. Scrolling through the songs, she made her selection and showed it to Orion, who smiled and nodded. Vinyl pressed Play.

Raven's eyes glazed over with tears. She remembered the first time Orion played this song for her, the passion and intensity striking deep at her heart. She rushed forward and hugged Orion tightly, crying and whispering "I'm sorry..." over and over again. Once the song ended, Vinyl collected her headphones and, with a smile, made her way back to the front.

Sunset, waiting against a back wall, rushed forward and hugged the two. "I'm glad you two are back together. I hated seeing you fight."

Orion smiles for the first time in a while, hugging Raven tightly back, and even kissing her nose. He smiles gratefully at Vinyl. "Thank you... I don't know who you are, but thank you." When Sunset comes running over, he smiles. "I'm glad too, Sunset... the Dazzlings blinded us both, put us under their spell... if it wasn't for them, this would never have happened." Then he stops cold as he realizes the enormity of what he just said. "The Dazzlings... they did this! All of this! They've been putting the whole school under hypnosis, and I'm only just now realizing it myself! They need to be stopped!"

"It's worse than hypnosis," said Sunset. "I got an answer to our questions about them. From what Twilight said, those three are sirens! They were banished here from Equestria many years ago. They feed on negative energy, it gives them power. That's why they tunred the whole school against itself! Their singing helps keep everyone entranced so they never find out what's really controlling them."

"Then we need to find a way to stop them, and break their powers forever!" He grins, starting to get an idea. "Raven, I propose we reform our band, even combine our two groups if we need to. A bigger sound means we get more firepower, because if we're going to stop the sirens then we need to fight them the same way they're fighting us, with song." Then he looks to Sunset. "You said my device was attuned to Equestrian magic. If you can find a way to boost the signal, we can use it in our show!" Then he realizes something else. "Of course, if we are to stop them it has to be tonight, at the Battle itself.. which means we need to win the semi-finals."

"That's a great idea, Orion! We can do that song we were working on before .. well, you know ... and that will get us into the finals for sure!" Raven hugged Orion once more. "Let me go talk to the girls."

Sunset turned to Orion. "Twilight also says she spoke with your counterpart in Equestria. She says he told her to tell you to let it charge as much as possible. If you can get one good burst, it just might be enough to stop them once and for all."

Orion is a little thrown by that, "There's a pony version of me around? Weird... I bet I look adorable." He also nods, "Let it charge and give one good burst... that seems doable." He looks around, "And we need to not let the Dazzlings know we're planning to go against them... though I haven't seen them around tonight. Have you?"

Sunset shakes her head. "No, I've only seen them when they go onstage. We'll need to keep an eye on them."

"Right... I'll go talk to the boys." He rushes offstage too.

* * *

><p>Songs performed:<br>Joan Jett: "Bad Reputation" watch?v=5RAQXg0IdfI

Duran Duran: "Friends of Mine" /7a3DGP65m2o

Joan Jett: "I Hate Myself For Loving You" watch?v=HPkTGm4RtVM

Robert Palmer: "Not A Second Time" /wpACrplMoSM

Scandal: "Goodbye To You" watch?v=_50-gOeBilc

The Beatles: "I'm Looking Through You" watch?v=j1Ov_GA9Viw

The Beatles: "And I Love Her" /gTa7z7RVJqY

Paul McCartney: "Maybe I'm Amazed" /cm2YyVZBL8U


	13. Song of the Sirens: 4

Up on the stage, Octavia Melody's cello echoed throughout the auditorium. She sat on a stool, eyes closed, the bow held between her fingers as she played. Her foot pumped on a looping pedal, so that she was essentially playing with herself. Her song was sad and spoke of regret, lost things, loneliness, and death. /6W774VU8zW4

At the end of the song, boos from the other bands and lackluster applause from the judges met her ears.

While Orion and Raven went off to confer with their respective bands, Octavia went running off from the stage, her cello bow in one hand, sobbing. She enters the hall and into the nearest bathroom. Further down the hall, snatches of sirens singing could just barely be heard. They seemed to be practicing.

Raven entered the bathroom, having seen Octavia bolt from the stage in tears, followed closely by Vinyl. Vinyl had a more worried look on her face than before, it was apparent even behind her sunglasses.

Raven went to where Octavia was hunched over, sobbing. Placing a hand on her shoulders, she smiled at Octavia. "You play beautifully, don't worry about what those uncultured cretins out there did."

Octavia snarls, her purple eyes flaring green for a brief moment as she locked eyes with Raven, "Why should I listen to you? You're no better than they are, turning the showcase into a musical fight with your ex-boyfriend... get away from me." The siren singing had grown a little louder now.

"Okay, I admit there was a bit of ... tension between Orion and myself, but that's over now! We're going to-" Raven was stopped by Vinyl's hand on her shoulder. Holding up her spare set of headphones, Vinyl slipped them over Octavia's head, and afte scrolling through the playlist on her music player, pressed the Play button.  watch?v=nOr0na6mKJQ

Octavia closes her eyes and listens to the song. When the string part begins, her fingers automatically begin figuring out how to play it. She reopens her eyes, and again they are purple. She smiles at the DJ. "So you're that girl I've been seeing all night... I am glad to finally meet you at last." She looks to both of them, "My name is Octavia Melody."

"Vinyl Scratch," said the DJ, extending a hand. "Your music is awesome."

Raven watched as the two shook hands. "Orion and I have a plan to defeat the Dazzlings, but we'll need everyone's help to do that. I've already recruited one other, and Orion is working on the second. Octavia, Vinyl, would you two join with us?" she asked.'

Vinyl thought for a moment, then put her hand out flat. "I'm in. Whatever you need."

Raven put her hand on top of Vinyl's, then looked at Octavia. "Octavia, would you join us?"

Octavia nods, placing her hand on top of Vinyl's. "With pleasure, Miss Raven."

Suddenly there's a series of hurried knocks on the door, and Orion's voice is heard. "Raven, what's taking you? The Dazzlings will be on in a minute, then the judges are going to decide who's going to face them in the final!"

"Be out in a minute, Orion ... lady stuff!" Raven called out, smirking at Octavia and Vinyl. "Come on girls, we have work to do."

Back in the gymnasium, the Dazzlings take the stage to do their own semi-final/victory song.  /sxFujBWQaB4 The audience watches with rapt attention, Vice Principal Luna even rests her chin on her hands as she watches them with a dazed smile on her face.

At the end, the newly-created Mystical Gallopfreyans now take the stage with a cellist, a very muscular violinist, and a weird-angled-eyed musical saw player, and play their semi-final song (  watch?v=n9qeJskx6r0 ) to raucous cheers from the students, and enthusiastic applause from Celestia and Luna. With a nod to each other, Celestia stepped on stage. "We wish to thank all of tour participants in this, our first Battle of the Bands! Moving into the finals, our two finalists will be ... The Dazzlings!" The students applauded. "And ... The Mystical Gallopfreyans!" More applause. "The final contest will take place at the amphitheater tomorrow night to give our bands time to prepare. Best of luck to both of you!"

Orion grins and hugs each of his bandmates in turn, there were lots of them now! But he saves the best hug for a particular purple girl he was glad to be in love with once again.

With their victory at the tryouts complete, Orion, Raven, and Sunset travel to Orion's house in his car, determined to spend the evening together. As the car approaches the stately manor, Orion gives a beaming smile. "Welcome, Sunset Shimmer, to Shadowfall Manor, the finest in all of Canterlot! I have a full staff of servants, more floors and rooms than I know what to do with, and sadly, a mother who doesn't approve that I am dating a commoner and attending a school full of them. Luckily she's not in town tonight, she's on a business trip, so we'll have the run of the place!" He climbs out and leads the two young women to the front door, going inside afterward.

"Let's see... Steno Pad should be around here somewhere..."

Sunset followed Orion inside, marveling at the very stately home. "I always wondered who owned this place," she said with awe, "but I had no idea it was your family, Orion. This place is almost like a palace!"

Raven smiled, and squeezed Orion's hand. "It takes some getting used to, Sunset, but trust me, you'll love it here!"

Steno Pad, working in his office off the main entryway, poked his head around the door. "Hello, who's - oh, hello Orion. I wasn't expecting you home so soon. How did it go?"

Orion smiles back, "Swimmingly, Steno! We won!" He grins, gesturing to himself and his two friends, "That reminds me: Sunset, this is my assistant, Steno. Steno, my friend Sunset Shimmer." He kisses Raven's cheek, "Wouldn't have been possible without you, dearest."

"Miss Shimmer, a pleasure to meet you," Steno said, nodding in greeting. "I'm very happy your band made it to the finals, Orion. I have some work to finish here, so I'll leave you three to celebrate! If you need anything from me, just give a holler!" He ducks back inside the office.

"He seems nice," Sunset said as Steno disappeared. "Kinda bookish, though. Almost reminds me of someone else - or somepony else - I know."

"Would it be that Twilight girl, or me?" he wonders aloud as they walk up the main stairs toward his room, which looks like it was made almost entirely from wood. The floor was wood, the walls were wood, even the bookshelves carved into the wall were wood! There was also a TV, a bed, and a desk, upon which sat his laptop and his tablet. "I hope you two brought pajamas... I don't have any for girls."

Raven smirked slyly, and winked at Sunset. "Oh no, Orion ... Sunset and I talked it over and we decided to sleep nude tonight. We figured it would be less to pack in the long run. Right, Sunset?"

Sunset nodded, trying not to laugh. "Oh yes ... besides, being pony and all, it's more comfortable for me. Shall we get ready then, Raven?" The two glanced over to Orion, smiling sweetly at him.

Orion's mouth opens and closes repeatedly as he tries to think of something to say in response to this. Two girls of roughly his age sleeping in his room, in his bed, without clothes. "Well, I... you see... It's..." He gives up. "There's... probably some spares... somewhere..."

Raven and Sunset burst out with laughter. "Oh, Orion… that look on your face! Better than I had hoped!" Raven laughed, walking over to Orion and wrapping him in a tight hug. "We were just having fun, sweetie. We've got nightclothes, so we're all set."

Sunset composed herself while watching the two lovebirds. "I'm sorry, Orion, but it sounded too funny to pass up. I hope you're not upset with us."

Orion returns the hug and smiles, "Not at all! You go get changed, then we can decide on what we want for dinner! And do other things too!"

"Okay, won't be a minute!" Raven said, kissing Orion's cheek. "Come on, Sunset, let's make ourselves presentable for His Lordship here," she said with a smile.

"Right away, your ladyship," Sunset replied, following Raven to the large bathroom. Emerging a few long minutes later, after much giggling and primping, both ladies emerged wearing pajamas and long bathrobes. Sunset had fluffy dragon slippers on her feet, while Raven had on a set of bunny slippers. "There. Now, let's see about some dinner," Raven said, "I'm quite hungry after all of the excitement today."

Orion is wearing a pair of silk pajamas that are just a little darker than his own skin tone, with some nondescript brown slippers on his feet. He's wearing a blue bathrobe. Nodding some to Raven's words, he flops down on the bed. "How would you feel about having something sent up by the kitchen staff?"

"That works fine for me," Raven replied. "I don't think I'm really dressed for the formal dining hall."

"It's fine with me, too," Sunset seconded. "Should we have a regular-type meal or just some snacky things we can munch all night? I'm fine either way."

"Snacks sound like an excellent idea!" Orion says with a nod. "Let's do it!" He then pulls a rope, summoning Cassius, who then asks what the trio would like to snack on. Orion goes first. "Let's see... tea for me, whatever drink the girls would like, and... as many biscuits (cookies) as you can find, berries, crackers, peanut butter, cheese..."

"Hi Cassius, I'll have my usual sweet tea, please," Raven said, smiling at the butler.

"Make that two," Sunset added.

Cassius nods, and goes off to the kitchen.

[20:03:34] Orion: Orion grabs the remote for the TV, "Suppose we watch a show or two? Or maybe a movie? I have an impressive DVD collection!"

"Sure! Whatever you'd like to watch, I'm not fussy." Raven moved closer to Orion, and Sunset sat slightly apart from the two.

Cassius reappeared with a tray full of snacks, and another servant brought the drinks. "Here we are. Ring if you desire anything else," Cassius said before departing.

Orion smiles and runs his fingers through Raven's hair as he picks a movie starring four English rockers with moptop haircuts living a hectic day (and night) as they prepare for a television performance, munching on his snacks too.

The night passed with many movies and many snacks being consumed. Soon, Raven was snoring away, leaving Sunset and Orion the only two awake by the flickering light of the television.

Orion looks over at Sunset concernedly, "Are you okay? You've been rather withdrawn tonight... and I don't just mean you've been writing in that book of yours."

Sunset sighs. "I'm just ... well, apart from feeling like a third wheel, I gues I'm questioning if I have any value to your group. I don't really do much, do I?"

Orion places a comforting hand on one of Sunset's, "Of course you have value... why wouldn't you? You're the one who leapt into action to bring us back together, and you're the one who revealed the truth about the Dazzlings. If it wasn't for you, Raven and I would still be at each other's throats."

Susnet nods. "I know, and I'm glad I could get you two back together. I just feel like I should be doing more. I guess I'm still having trouble finding my place, not to mention I'm still never gonna live down the Fall Formal incident."

"Well, I wouldn't be so sure about that... the Dazzling thing might be enough to overpower even that. But we'll see." A thought occurs to him, "If you had to choose between life here and life as a pony, which would you pick?"

"I think I'd rather stay here," Sunset replied. "It's been so long since I've been in Equestria, it would be too much to be able to assimilate back into pony life. Besides, I've made more friends here than I ever had there, and I wouldn't want to leave them."

"Which leads me to my next question... do you consider yourself more of a human, or a pony in a human body?"

"Definitely more human than pony now. I feel more at ease here for some reason."

Orion chuckles a little at that, "Maybe it's the disconnection from your past? Still, the fact that you're going native, as it were, after spending so long here... it's unsurprising. I can't really imagine what you looked like as a pony, because I only know you as a human." He smiles at her. "And you're a very good human, Sunset Shimmer. I'm glad to call you my friend." He gives her a hug.

Sunset hugs back, a glimmer in her eyes. "Thank you, Orion. You hve no idea how wonderful that makes me feel." She pulls back enough to look at Orion. "If it weren't for you and Raven, I'd be lost right now. I don't think I could ever repay your kindness."

Orion nuzzles her, "Just keep doing what you're doing. If you ever need it, you'll have a room here."

"Thank you." Sunset looks over at the snoring Raven. "I had no idea she was such a foghorn. Think we'll ever get any sleep tonight?"

"Try these," he suggests, pulling out some earplugs. "I'll see you in the morning... we'll have to get up early for rehearsal."

Sunset smiles and slips the plugs in. "Sounds okay to me. See you in the morning, Orion."

"Until tomorrow, Sunset!" Smiling, he climbs into bed and is soon asleep.

The night of the final arrived, and the amphitheater was packed with the student body of Canterlot High. Backstage, The Dazzlings were preparing to take the stage. With some encouragement from Adagio, a certain great and powerful musician had managed to ensnare The Mystical Gallopfreyans in a trap, leaving them under the stage as the show was set to begin. Trixie and The Illusions took to the stage, performing their song (  watch?v=aOEKu8L5UqQ )to smatterings of applause, before The Dazzlings made their way to the stage.

"Try to top _that_!" Trixie said boastfully.

"Oh, gosh! I don't know if we can!" Adagio said sarcastically, as the rest of The Dazzlings laughed. They then began their pre-show vocalizations.

Orion is down below, trying without success to open the door by taking run-ups. Vinyl was nowhere to be found, and neither was his sonic. "Arrrrgh! This isn't working!" he shouts, rubbing his bruised shoulder.

The door suddenly swung open at that point to reveal Vinyl, a smile on her face, looking over the group. "If you guys are done, there's a world to save?" she says with some mirth in her voice. She walks over to Orion. "Here, you dropped this when you got trapped down here, I guess. It's been buzzing like crazy." She hands over the magic screwdriver.

Raven was quick to grab her instrument. "Come on! If we don't get set up quickly, we'll never be able to stop them!"

"Has anyone seen Sunset Shimmer?" Orion asks, pocketing the screwdriver as they run past the ampitheatre toward a distant hill, "I hope she's around somewhere... preferably not hypnotized."

Adagio smirks at the sight of the hypnotized humans. Putting them under their spell had been so easy... of course, she had a thousand years of practice. She and her fellow Dazzlings begin their song, surrounded by green mist that flows into their necklaces, giving them the power they'd need to at least project their true forms, if not transform into them.

Sunset waits with Vinyl on the hill as the band approaches. "Sorry, I ran late. When I saw Trixie performing, I feared something happened to you, so I asked Vinyl to go look for you." She peers down at the green mist filling the arena. "Good thing I waited up here, no telling what would have happened if I'd been in there."

The Dazzlings strut onto the stage, singing their song and further entrancing the students. (  watch?v=hdwty6WVubY ) The necklaces they wore glowed with a luster and ferocity that hadn't happened since their expulsion from Equestria all those years ago.

Orion's device buzzes louder than ever, almost shrieking as the raw, dark magic flowed around the area. "This is our chance!"

Vinyl grins and pushes a button on her car dashboard, transforming it into a DJ stand. "I know just what you mean, dude!" She taps a few keys, and there's a loud burst of feedback as she hacks into the ampitheatre's sound system.

Orion grabs his car keys and scrapes the teeth up and down Octavia's cello strings, much to her chagrin, and says "Now that I have your attention..." He interrupts the Dazzlings mid-song, letting his band play an instrumental piece, a throbbing electronic tune with an eerie, creepy melody line and a bassline that threatens to get stuck in everyone's heads. /-H_o6ncUz3g Orion steps up to the mic, coat billowing behind him in the wind. "Hello, Dazzlings!" he calls out, looking around at everyone, "Who takes the high school, takes the multiverse! But bad news, everyone! 'Cause guess who? Ha!" He gestures grandly to himself and his bandmates then continues, focusing on the angry Dazzlings. "Look at you lot, swaying about, it's really very distracting. Could you all just stay still a minute, because I! AM! TALKING!" His voice echoes at those last three words.

"Now the question of the hour is, who understands friendship? Answer: I do, next question! Who's coming to take it from me? Come on! Look at me. No plan, no back up, no weapons worth a damn. Oh, and something else. I don't have anything to lose! So! If you're standing down on there on your silly little stage, singing your silly little songs, and you've got any plans on taking Canterlot High tonight, just remember who's standing in your way! Remember every black day you've ever been defeated, and then, AND THEN, do the smart thing!" His voice lowers as the tone of the song fades into an extended drum solo, "Let somebody else try first."

Adagio scoffed. "So the Gallopfreyans want to turn this into a real Battle of the Bands? Then let's battle!" The Dazzlings resumed their song. As they sang, their bodies transformed into some form of pony-dragon hybrid, their dragon essence emerging and swooping around the Gallopfreyans. With one particularly high note, the Gallopfreyans were knocked to the ground, Orion's screwdriver slipping out of his pocket and landing on the ground near Sunset.

Orion loses his hold on the sonic as it falls onto the grass below, rolling out of his reach. "Sunset, we need you!" he yells desperately.

Sunset rushed forward, grabbing the screwdriver and a microphone, and nodding to one of the drummers that had recovered. He quickly began tapping out a beat. With a knowing smile, Sunset began to sing as the rest of the band slowly recovered. (  watch?v=SsNl9zaWJdQ )

As the band strikes up a new song, Orion bobs his head in time to the beat and plays along with them. As they play, their own bodies undergo a transformation similar to that of the Dazzlings, only without the draconic elements.

Now sporting a pair of grey pony ears and much longer hair to give the appearance of a tail, Orion faces down the terrified Dazzlings. He takes the mic and speaks coldly to them. "I tried to talk. I want you to remember that. I tried to reach out, I tried to understand you, but I think that you understand us perfectly. And I think you just don't care. And I don't know whether you are here to enslave, hypnotize, or just transform us, I don't suppose it really matters now. You are monsters! That is the role you seem determined to play, so it seems I must play mine!" He determinedly straightens his bowtie. "The man who stops the monsters!"

From behind, Raven tosses him the magic screwdriver, which he catches, holding it aloft. "I'm ending your song now before it can hurt anyone else! And no matter what happens, I want you to remember this: You are not welcome here. This plane is protected. I am Orion, and I name you, the sirens!"

He presses the button, and a jet of blue light shoots out of the screwdriver and toward the clouds to join the spectral horse, taking the form of a blue police box. Both objects soar toward the spectral avatars of the Dazzlings and obliterate them, shattering the red gemstones around their necks in the same moment.

The spectral form of the police box washes over the Dazzlings, impacting the crystals around their necks. The crystals crack, and shatter, returning the Dazzlings to their original form. Attempting to regain their power, they begin to sing - horribly, and off-key. The crowd boos loudly, and the three make a break for backstage.

Raven, Sunset, and the rest go after them, finally catching up with them. "We knew what you were and where you came from," Sunset said softly. "I tried to take over this world, too, and it didn't work. And, in the process, I made a lot of good friends." She miles at Orion and Raven, and the rest of the band. "I couldn't let you destroy that. We have defeated your evil, but we offer our friendship, if you are willing to accept. The choice is yours."

Sonata looks about ready to accept, but Aria and Adagio are more brittle than that. They turn away to discuss the matter privately. "We're not just going to go and do it, are we Adagio?" asks Aria. "Hook up with these humans?" She spits the word out like it was poison. "Especially that grey one, Orion. Besides, he threatened us."

Orion taps Adagio gently on the shoulder, and smiles a bit. "I befriended Sunset after she became a raging she-demon. I can do the same with you, too. You might be a thousand years old, but deep inside? You're as human as I am." He offers his hand. "So, what do you say? Friends?"

Adagio sighs. "Aria, he didn't threaten us. He threatened what we became. And now, after seeing where that got us after all of these years, I have to say I'm about ready for a change." She looks up at Orion and smiles wanly. "I'm willing to try. I might be a little rusty at the whole friends thing, though." She takes his hand.

Raven and the rest crowd in and give the three hugs, welcoming them into their circle.

Aria grudgingly joins in, and Orion hugs the three ex-sirens with the rest, pocketing his magic screwdriver too. Hopefully he wouldn't need it anymore.

The arena was quiet now, and Celestia and Luna looked over the scattered decorations and other debris from the evening's events. Celestia put an arm around Luna's shoulder, and produced a compact disk from her blazer pocket. Luna smiled and nodded.

Moments later, the two administrators appeared on the stage, Celestia dressed in a stunning maroon velour form-fitting jumpsuit with flared legs, Luna in a similar outfit but in a rich hunter green color. They nodded to the bus driver seated at the piano, cowboy hat perched atop his head. He smiled, and pressed the Play button on the CD player. As the click track counted down, he swept his fingers over the keys as the music started. (  watch?v=xFrGuyw1V8s ) The two ladies began to sing in harmony, performing to an absent audience but not seeming to mind. (  art/SECRET-SHOW-492742047 )


End file.
